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Abstract

This paper addresses three related issues. First, in what sense is the goverment’s ability to borrow limited by its capacity to tax? Second, when is Ponzi finance1 feasible for an infinite-lived government? Third, when does the opportunity to engage in Ponzi finance enhance the government’s ability to influence private resource allocation?

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© 1998 Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited

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Buiter, W.H., Kletzer, K.M. (1998). Uses and Limitations of Public Debt. In: Brakman, S., van Ees, H., Kuipers, S.K. (eds) Market Behaviour and Macroeconomic Modelling. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-26732-3_11

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