Abstract
Michaelowa (2003, 2002) proposes a political-economy model to explain the re-design of the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) debt reliefinitiative in 1999. The principal assumption justifying the adoption of thisalternative approach is an alleged paucity, if not non-existence, of applied economic research on sustainable debt levels. This note challenges that assumption.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Callaghy, T. (2002). Innovation in the sovereign debt regime: From the Paris Club to enhanced HIPC and beyond. Mimeo. Operations Evaluation Department. Washington, D.C.: World Bank.
Cohen, D. (1998). The sustainability of African debt. In D. Cohen (Ed.), Contemporary economic issues. Proceedings of the Eleventh World Congress of the International Economic Association: volume 3: trade, payments and debt, 160–181. Houndmills: Macmillan.
Eldabawi, I.A., Ndulu, B.J. and Ndung’u, N. (1997). Debt overhang and economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Z. Iqbal and R. Kanbur (Eds.), External finance for low-income countries, 49–76. Washington, D.C.: IMF.
Gautam, M. (2003). Debt relief for the poorest: An OED review of the HIPC initiative. Operations Evaluation Department. Washington, D.C.: World Bank.
Hjertholm, P. (2003a). Theoretical and empirical foundations of HIPC debt sustainability targets. Journal of Development Studies 39: 67–100.
Hjertholm, P. (2003b). Debt sustainability thresholds: A note on Underwood (1990). Mimeo. Institute of Economics, University of Copenhagen.
IMF (2002). Assessing sustainability. Policy Development and Review Department. Washington, D.C.
IMF and World Bank (2001). The challenge of maintaining long-term external debt sustainability. Washington, D.C.
IMF and World Bank (1996). Analytical aspects of the debt problems of heavily-indebted poor countries. Washington, D.C.
Michaelowa, K. (2003). The political economy of the enhanced HIPC-initiative. Public Choice 114: 461–476.
Michaelowa, K. (2002). The political economy of the enhanced HIPC-Initiative. HWWA Discussion Paper 161. Hamburg: Hamburg Institute of International Economics.
Morgan Guaranty Trust (1983). Global debt: Assessment and long-term strategy. World Financial Markets June: 1–15.
Pattillo, C., Poirson, H. and Ricci, L. (2002). External debt and growth. IMF Working Paper WP/02/69. Washington, D.C.: IMF.
Petersen, H.J. (1977). Debt crises of developing countries: A pragmatic approach to an early warning system. Konjunkturpolitik 23: 94–110.
Stymne, J. (1993). Reducing the debt burden of Sub-Saharan Africa. In M. Blomström and M. Lundahl (Eds.), Economic crisis in Africa: Perspectives on policy responses, 75–98. London and New York: Routledge.
Underwood, J. (1990). The sustainability of international debt. Mimeo. Washington, D.C.: World Bank.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hjertholm, P. Explaining the Enhanced HIPC Initiative: A Response to Michaelowa (2003). Public Choice 121, 481–483 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11127-004-3285-3
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11127-004-3285-3