About this work
Widening fiscal deficits collided with limited external financing as the pandemic hit emerging markets. In May 2020, Jonathan Fortun and Sergi Lanau argued that private sector deleveraging would be unavoidable as scarce financial resources shifted toward funding public deficits. They identified South Africa as a particularly pronounced case, connecting the fiscal shock to the adjustment required in private balance sheets rather than treating government borrowing in isolation.
Abstract
Widening fiscal deficits collided with limited external financing as the pandemic hit emerging markets. In May 2020, Jonathan Fortun and Sergi Lanau argued that private sector deleveraging would be unavoidable as scarce financial resources shifted toward funding public deficits. They identified South Africa as a particularly pronounced case, connecting the fiscal shock to the adjustment required in private balance sheets rather than treating government borrowing in isolation.
Cite this work
Jonathan Fortun, Sergi Lanau (2020). Economic Views: EM Fiscal Deficits in the COVID-19 Shock. Institute of International Finance.