an increase in government borrowing will cause which of the following course hero

by Nya Cassin 4 min read

Key Concepts and Summary

The theory of Ricardian equivalence holds that changes in private saving will offset changes in government borrowing or saving. Thus, greater private saving will offset higher budget deficits, while greater private borrowing will offset larger budget surpluses.

Self-Check Questions

Imagine an economy in which Ricardian equivalence holds. This economy has a budget deficit of 50, a trade deficit of 20, private savings of 130, and investment of 100. If the budget deficit rises to 70, how are the other terms in the national saving and investment identity affected?

Critical Thinking Questions

Explain whether or not you agree with the premise of the Ricardian equivalence theory that rational people might reason: “Well, a higher budget deficit (surplus) means that I’m just going to owe more (less) taxes in the future to pay off all that government borrowing, so I’ll start saving (spending) now.” Why or why not?

Problems

Illustrate the concept of Ricardian equivalence using the demand and supply of financial capital graph.

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