Interaction of monetary and fiscal policy from a historical perspective: Precious metals and Venetian government debt

Was monetary policy crucial for early sovereign debt sustainability? This paper analyses whether the availability of gold and silver drove Venetian government debt servicing costs in the late medieval period. We use an error correction model to describe changes in yields on perpetual bonds...

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Main Author: Božović Miloš
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Economists' Association of Vojvodina 2022-01-01
Series:Panoeconomicus
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/1452-595X/2022/1452-595X2202333B.pdf
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author Božović Miloš
author_facet Božović Miloš
author_sort Božović Miloš
collection DOAJ
description Was monetary policy crucial for early sovereign debt sustainability? This paper analyses whether the availability of gold and silver drove Venetian government debt servicing costs in the late medieval period. We use an error correction model to describe changes in yields on perpetual bonds issued by the Venetian state. We document that the ability of the Venetian Republic to service its sovereign borrowing can be partially attributed to the supply of precious metals. We show that the substantial increase in debt servicing costs during the 15th century can be associated with an abrupt halt in the supply of gold and silver from mines in Serbia and Bosnia - primarily a consequence of the Ottoman expansion to the west. We control for other explanatory factors, such as mean reversion of nominal yield, real GDP growth and military conflicts.
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spelling doaj.art-7c7a2ae0d3f74e6381234cb2ee6459f82022-12-22T02:06:36ZengEconomists' Association of VojvodinaPanoeconomicus1452-595X2217-23862022-01-0169233335210.2298/PAN2202333B1452-595X2202333BInteraction of monetary and fiscal policy from a historical perspective: Precious metals and Venetian government debtBožović Miloš0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5087-1977University of Belgrade, Faculty of Economics, SerbiaWas monetary policy crucial for early sovereign debt sustainability? This paper analyses whether the availability of gold and silver drove Venetian government debt servicing costs in the late medieval period. We use an error correction model to describe changes in yields on perpetual bonds issued by the Venetian state. We document that the ability of the Venetian Republic to service its sovereign borrowing can be partially attributed to the supply of precious metals. We show that the substantial increase in debt servicing costs during the 15th century can be associated with an abrupt halt in the supply of gold and silver from mines in Serbia and Bosnia - primarily a consequence of the Ottoman expansion to the west. We control for other explanatory factors, such as mean reversion of nominal yield, real GDP growth and military conflicts.http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/1452-595X/2022/1452-595X2202333B.pdfvenetian prestitisovereign debtgold and silverlate medieval minesottoman-venetian conflict
spellingShingle Božović Miloš
Interaction of monetary and fiscal policy from a historical perspective: Precious metals and Venetian government debt
Panoeconomicus
venetian prestiti
sovereign debt
gold and silver
late medieval mines
ottoman-venetian conflict
title Interaction of monetary and fiscal policy from a historical perspective: Precious metals and Venetian government debt
title_full Interaction of monetary and fiscal policy from a historical perspective: Precious metals and Venetian government debt
title_fullStr Interaction of monetary and fiscal policy from a historical perspective: Precious metals and Venetian government debt
title_full_unstemmed Interaction of monetary and fiscal policy from a historical perspective: Precious metals and Venetian government debt
title_short Interaction of monetary and fiscal policy from a historical perspective: Precious metals and Venetian government debt
title_sort interaction of monetary and fiscal policy from a historical perspective precious metals and venetian government debt
topic venetian prestiti
sovereign debt
gold and silver
late medieval mines
ottoman-venetian conflict
url http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/1452-595X/2022/1452-595X2202333B.pdf
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