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dc.titleEconomic Growth, Debt, and Fiscal Adjustment: Barbados’ Tripartite Challenge
dc.contributor.authorGiles Álvarez, Laura
dc.contributor.authorWaithe, Kimberly
dc.contributor.authorDeyal, Zubin
dc.contributor.orgunitCountry Department Caribbean Group
dc.contributor.orgunitCountry Office in Barbados
dc.coverageBarbados
dc.coverageThe Caribbean
dc.date.available2019-02-26T00:00:00
dc.date.issue2019-02-22T00:00:00
dc.description.abstractThe concepts of economic growth, public debt, and the government’s fiscal balance are strongly intertwined. In Barbados, low growth and recurring fiscal deficits have led to rapid accumulation of debt, which at over 155 percent of GDP in 2017 and the first half of 2018, has been the highest in the Latin American and Caribbean region. In response, the Government of Barbados is carrying out a set of ambitious reforms, including a fiscal consolidation program and debt restructuring. Yet, given the important role of economic growth on the required fiscal adjustment and on the debt-to-GDP ratio, it will be key to ensure that the design and scope of the adjustment support a balanced approach, reducing debt without undermining growth. This paper reviews and explains the recent debt trajectory in Barbados. It then discusses the potential effects of real GDP growth on the debt-to-GDP ratio and the required fiscal adjustment going forward. In so doing, it highlights the importance of a balanced approach between fiscal adjustment and growth stimulus for a sustainable debt path.
dc.format.extent17
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.18235/0001563
dc.identifier.urlhttps://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/document/Economic_Growth_Debt_and_Fiscal_Adjustment_Barbados’_Tripartite_Challenge.pdf
dc.language.isoen
dc.mediumAdobe PDF
dc.publisherInter-American Development Bank
dc.subjectEconomic Development
dc.subjectPublic Debt
dc.subjectFiscal Consolidation
dc.subjectFiscal Sustainability
dc.subjectGDP Growth
dc.subjectStructural Fiscal Balance Rule
dc.subject.jelcodeE62 - Fiscal Policy
dc.subject.jelcodeF43 - Economic Growth of Open Economies
dc.subject.jelcodeH68 - Forecasts of Budgets, Deficits, and Debt
dc.subject.jelcodeH63 - Debt • Debt Management • Sovereign Debt
dc.typePolicy Briefs
idb.identifier.pubnumberIDB-PB-00310
idb.operationBA-P1123
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