Déficit público, dívida pública e crescimento econômico: uma análise do período pós-real

Abstract

The objective of this study is to analyze according to the Keynesian approach the relationship between deficit public, the growth of the public debt, and its implications of the economic activity. The stabilization of the Brazilian economy was followed by deterioration of public finance which the outcome was a severe fiscal disequilibrium and a rise of tax that is not compatible with sustainable economic growth. During the analyzed period, the government through central bank raised interest rate in order to avoid speculation attack against real, in order to limit the devaluation of real, avoiding the so called cost inflation, in order to attract capital inflows to finance the balance of payment, in order to control inflation by reducing consumer expenditure, and the investment expenditure as a result decreasing aggregate demand. The interest rate determined by central bank s reaction raising the finance cost to the government who is the big debtor. This economic policy of high interest rate does not estipulate the economic growth. Besides the maintenance of high interest rate generates volatilities on fiscal budget weakening the government policies against crisis. As government faces difficult time that obligates to raise interest rate the impact on public account is immediately validating the expectation of higher debt since important size of debt relies on the interest rate (Selic), due to maturity shortens and concentration of debt payments. Therefore, the higher the cost of debt on public deficit leads to a smaller impact on aggregate demand and correspond to an increase in the ratio of public debt to gdp, since a good portion of Brazil s debt is denominated in interest rate, representing a source of uncertainty to the economic players which demand a higher risk premium to hold public bonds. In a fiscal policy regime that keeps constant the level of the primary surplus, a financial shock may put the debt ratio along an unstable path and the economy may fall in a bad equilibrium which a negative impact on employment and economic activity