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    Persistent gaps and default traps

    Catao, L.A.V. and Fostel, A. and Kapur, Sandeep (2009) Persistent gaps and default traps. Journal of Development Economics 89 (2), pp. 271-284. ISSN 0304-3878.

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    Abstract

    We show how vicious circles in countries' credit histories arise in a model where output persistence is coupled with asymmetric information about output shocks. In such an environment, default signals the borrower's vulnerability to adverse shocks and creates a pessimistic growth outlook. This translates into higher interest spreads and debt servicing costs relative to income, raising the cost of future repayments, thereby creating “default traps”. We build a long and broad cross-country dataset to show the existence of a history-dependent “default premium” and of significant effects of output persistence on sovereign creditworthiness, consistent with the model's predictions.

    Metadata

    Item Type: Article
    Keyword(s) / Subject(s): Sovereign Debt, serial default, default premium, emerging market bond spreads, asymmetric information, output persistence
    School: Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Business and Law > Birkbeck Business School
    Research Centres and Institutes: Innovation Management Research, Birkbeck Centre for
    Depositing User: Administrator
    Date Deposited: 24 Nov 2010 11:56
    Last Modified: 02 Aug 2023 16:51
    URI: https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/1959

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