• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.51-96
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• 2006

Two conditions should be satisfied if fiscal policy is to stabilize economic cycles; proper policy timing and significant policy effect. This paper evaluates whether the policy timing has been proper in Korea by investigating the correlation between fiscal policy stance and economic conditions. We first calculate quarterly FIs (Fiscal Impulse) using the estimated potential GDP and fiscal balance data. Based on these indices, we 1) analyze how FIs respond to the economic conditions summarized in GDP gap through regression analysis, 2) compare average FIs in expansionary and recessionary periods according to the NSO's economic cycles, 3) evaluate fiscal policy maker's perception of economic conditions and its intention by reviewing the budget proposals. Although regression analysis shows that overall fiscal policy, especially expenditure side, has properly responded to economic conditions, average FIs do not show the significant difference between expansionary and recessionary periods. It is inconclusive whether the fiscal policy timing has been proper. Budget proposals show that actual fiscal policy stance has been sometimes inconsistent with the policy intention, which implies that it is hard to utilize fiscal policy actively to stabilize the economy.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.23 no.1_2
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• pp.71-147
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• 2001

The structural balance is obtained by neutralizing the impact of economic cycles on the actual balance. It is often used as an indicator of the long-term stability of government finance and as a measure of fiscal stance. Many countries nowadays produce and report the estimates of their structural balances regularly, and the IMF recently advised the Korean government to adopt this practice for better fiscal transparency. This paper surveys the methodologies employed by the OECD secretariat and the IMF to estimate structural balances and apply them to the Korean data. It then computes the fiscal impulse indicator (FI) and suggests a decomposition of FI into the changes in structural expenditures and revenues. In addition, primary and operational balances are estimated. The estimated series of structural balances, one by the OECD methodology and the other by the IMF, show no sizable difference from each other. These series also follow the actual series of budget balance quite closely. The latter characteristic stems from two factors, namely the rather small GDP gap and the rather small size of the tax revenue as a share of GDP. The impulse indicator estimated for the last three decades indicates that the fiscal stance in Korea contributed to smoothing the economic cycles in about half of the times. In particular, the fiscal tightening in the early 1980s to reduce inflation resulted in a pro-cyclical movement in fiscal stance as did the expansionary policy in the early 1990s. The overall performance, however, is not bad when compared with those of other countries.