Exploring the Effects of High National Debt on Household Consumption and Foreign Direct Investments
Keywords:
high national debt, public debt, household consumption, consumer spending, tax revenues, foreign direct investment (FDI)Abstract
As nations grapple with the challenges posed by increasing debt burdens, finding out the intricacies between macroeconomic indicators would give insights into how household consumption and foreign investments are affected by the high national debt level, and how they move along with the identified variables such as tax revenues and economic health of the country. The goal of this paper is to focus on the implications of high external debt for macroeconomic variables and find out the variables’ effects in the short term and the long term by using a quantitative approach or method. The researchers intend to find out if the household consumption expenditure is influenced by high national debt, tax revenues, total economic health, and foreign investments, or otherwise, finding out as well if the foreign investments are influenced by high national debt, tax revenues, total economic health, and household consumption expenditure or not. The paper also has its constraints given that related literature is limited in terms of the immediate relationship of the variables that the researchers want to study.
With the knowledge that high national debt would have a toll on the country’s economic performance or the gross domestic product (GDP), there is the perception of high debt having an impact on household consumption or consumer spending that can alter the living conditions or reduce incomes of the people, given that the government would need to look for ways in order to pay off high debt by resorting to collecting more taxes. An impending increase in tax rates would eat up a portion of personal income that can in turn affect their ability to consume. High tax rates can also discourage foreign direct investments (FDIs) into the country, as this factor can also contribute to decisions to investments since other countries might offer a more competitive tax package. Aside from this, with the perception that a country can be on the brink of debt overheating due to high national debt, foreign investors would hesitate to come in due to the idea that the economy is struggling, a bad precedent for doing business. High amounts of public debt can restrict the government's options for fiscal policy during recessions, which lessens the government's ability to help the economy recover and push forward. As debts increase, the growing perception that this would be contra beneficial to the living conditions of people despite the everyday grind could affect consumption behavior and future expectations on price and policy directions, further affecting the country’s overall economic health.
While fiscal policies are strong indicators of government revenue raising and spending directions and actions, tax collection or revenues are necessarily integral as a key variable influencing a country’s capacity to pay that can also limit potentials of incurring a high national debt level. With good tax collection practices and tax policies, as a key source of revenues to help pay off the country’s debt, other factors such as monetary policy are also important. Monetary policy control is needed because rising interest rates can make it more expensive to borrow to cover basic household needs and other forms of financial needs, such as mortgages and other financial obligations. This could limit disposable income and reduce consumer spending. Moreover, related hazards that impact general consumption behavior include the depreciation of the currency and price rises that lead to inflation, which could exacerbate the living conditions of the people. These might lower families' purchasing power. Therefore, the effects of large public debt on investments and budgets emphasize the necessity of sound fiscal management and policy use to reduce any potential negative effects.
The research examines the dynamics of macroeconomic aggregates in the context of the nation's high levels of national debt, tax revenue, household spending, and foreign investments. Among the objectives are trend analyses of significant variables such as GDP, tax revenues, foreign direct investment (FDI), household consumption, and national government debt. Another study objective is to comprehend the relationship between tax income, state debt, household expenditure, and foreign direct investments. Its goal is to determine whether the country's growing debt affects household consumption and investments. The study utilizes the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) cointegration technique to examine the links between GDP, tax collections, foreign investments, household consumption, and national debt. In conclusion, the analysis' result regarding the influence of total national debt, overall economic health, and foreign investment on the household's final consumption expenditure (HCFE) is largely evident in both the short run and long run. The ARDL is a flexible model that allows analysis at level and first differences. Different lag lengths may also be used in the model having different variables.
References
Alegado, Siegfrid (2022). Philippines’ debt ratio widens as pandemic rages. www.bloomberg.com, Asia Edition.
Alesina, A., Favero, Carlo A., and Giavazzi, Francesco. (2018). Climbing out of debt. Finance and Development. International Monetary Fund. https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/2018/03/alesina.
Alesina, A., & Perotti, R. (1995). Fiscal Expansions and Adjustments in OECD Countries. Economic Policy, 10(21), 205–248. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/671243. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1344590
Blanchard, O. J., & Perotti, R. (2002). An empirical characterization of the dynamic effects of changes in government spending and taxes on output. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 117(4), 1329–1368. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/24091801_An_Empirical_Characterization_Of_The_Dynamic_Effects_Of_Changes_In_Government_Spending_And_Taxes_On_Output DOI: https://doi.org/10.1162/003355302320935043
Buchanan, James M. (1999). Public principles of public debt. Liberty Fund, Inc. 8335 Allison Pointe Trail, Suite 300 Indianapolis, IN. https://www.libertyfund.org/books/public-principles-of-public-debt/
Camara, A. (2022) . The effect of foreign direct investment on tax revenue. Comparative Economic Studies Vol. 65 pp 1-23. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41294-022-00195-2
https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JHASS-08-2023-0099/full/html
Cao, Yongquan., Gaspar, Vitor., and Peralta-Alva, Adrian. (2024). Costly increases in public debt. International Monetary Bank. https://www.imf.org/-/media/Files/Publications/WP/2024/English/wpiea2024010-print-pdf.ashx DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9798400263620.001
De Rugy, Veronique and Salmon, J. (2022) Inflation in Times of High Debt. Mercatus Center, George Mason University. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4126372
file:///C:/Users/user/Downloads/de_rugy_and_salmon_-_policy_brief_-_inflation_high_debt_and_the_public_interest%20(1).pdf
Dey, S.R. and Tareque, M. (2020), "External debt and growth: Role of stable macroeconomic policies", Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Science, 25(50) 185-204. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEFAS-05-2019-0069 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JEFAS-05-2019-0069
Easterly, W., & Rebelo, S. (1993). Fiscal policy and economic growth: An empirical investigation. Journal of Monetary Economics, 32(3), 417–458. https://www.nber.org/papers/w4499 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3932(93)90025-B
Gregersen, Gregor (2023). Why Singapore’s debt is often misunderstood. Sliver Bullion online. https://www.silverbullion.com.sg/Articles/Detail/Why-Singapores-Debt-is-Often-Misunderstood/10629
Bangko Sentral nang Pilipinas - International Operations Department. Primer on Foreign/Foreign Currency/Loans/Borrowings. https://www.bsp.gov.ph/Lists/Download%20Section/Attachments/104/fxloan_primer.pdf
Kose, M. Ayhan., & Nagle, P. (2021). What has been the impact of Covid-19 on debt. Turning a Wave into a Tsunami. Policy Research Working Paper. The World Bank Group. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-9871
Mankiw, Gregory N.(2009). Macroeconomics (7th edition). Worth Publisher. https://jollygreengeneral.typepad.com/files/n.-gregory-mankiw-macroeconomics-7th-edition-2009.pdf.
Mendoza, E. G., Razin, A., & Tesar, L. L. (2019). Globalization and the Trilemma. NBER Working Paper Series, 23945. https://www.doi.org/ 10.3386/w23945. https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w28339/w28339.pdf
Oche, M., Gisele Mah*, Itumeleng Mongale. (2016). The effects of public debt on foreign direct investments in South Africa (1983-2013): An empirical analysis. https://doi.org/10.22495/rgcv6i4siart2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.22495/rgcv6i4siart2
Persson, T., & Tabellini, G. (1994). Is Inequality Harmful to Growth? American Economic Review, 84(3), 600–621. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2118070.
Piancastelli, Marcelo and Thirlwall A.P. (2020). The determinants of tax revenue and tax effort in developed and developing countries: theory and new evidence 1996-2015. Nova Economia. 30(3). https://www.scielo.br/j/neco/a/dbPmdM5MLGBFDwPkVPqwC8G/?format=pdf&lang=en DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-6351/5788
Quilon, Annabel and Kurniawan, Yohan. (2023). Online learning environment and mental health among university students. Bedan Research Journal, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.58870/berj.v8i1.54 DOI: https://doi.org/10.58870/berj.v8i1.54
Reinhart, C. M., & Rogoff, K. S. (2010). Growth in a Time of Debt. American Economic Review, 100(2), 573–578. https://doi.org/ 10.1257/aer.100.2.573. https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/aer.100.2.573 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.100.2.573
Spiegel, S. & Schwank, O. (2022). “UN DESA policy brief no. 134: The Great Finance Divide. https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/publication/un-desa-policy-brief-no-134-the-great-finance-divide/
Salotti, S & Trecroci C. (2016). The Impact of Government Debt, Expenditure and Taxes on Aggregate Investment and Productivity Growth. Economica. 83(330). https://www.jstor.org/stable/24751923 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ecca.12175
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs - Economic Analysis. (Brief number 134), https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/publication/un-desa-policy-brief-no-134-the-great-finance-divide/.
Viray, Edilberto B. Jr., and Bato, Jesusa A. (2023). Influence of Debt Service to the Economy: A Granger Causality Analysis. Bedan Research Journal. 8(1). https://doi.org/10.58870/berj.v8i1.55 DOI: https://doi.org/10.58870/berj.v8i1.55
- PDF | 8
- Abstract Views | 23
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Copyright (c) 2024 Ma. Jesusa Bato, Edilberto Viray
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.