Public Debt and Inflation: A Review of International Literature

• Published in: Folia Oeconomica Stetinensia
• Main Authors: Aimola Akingbade U., Odhiambo Nicholas M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sciendo 2020-06-01
• Subjects: public debt; inflation; fiscal and monetary policy; relationship; e31; e51; e52; h63
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.2478/foli-2020-0001

Research background: Public debt arises mainly from debt-financed deficits. More and more countries are resorting to additional public indebtedness to raise additional financial resources to meet government funding needs, which are unattainable by the usual tax means. As a result, increasingly, government spending is rising faster than revenue is received, and the excess is financed mainly through domestic and external borrowings. Expensive borrowings by a government (in an environment of increasing interest rates) may be harmful to inflation and the macroeconomic stabilisation process. This trend is raising concerns among policymakers as it undermines macroeconomic stability, especially in developing economies with relatively weak and dependent monetary authorities in the formulation and implementation of monetary policies. Hence, the association between public debt and inflation is of importance in the inflationary process of an economy.