OECD Economics Department Working Papers
Working papers from the Economics Department of the OECD that cover the full range of the Department’s work including the economic situation, policy analysis and projections; fiscal policy, public expenditure and taxation; and structural issues including ageing, growth and productivity, migration, environment, human capital, housing, trade and investment, labour markets, regulatory reform, competition, health, and other issues.
The views expressed in these papers are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the OECD or of the governments of its member countries.
- ISSN : 18151973 (en ligne)
- https://doi.org/10.1787/18151973
Capital Inflows, Household Debt and the Boom-bust Cycle in Estonia
From 2000 to 2007, Estonia was one of the fastest growing emerging market economies. A housing boom,
fuelled by capital inflows and credit, resulted in skyrocketing house prices and an over-expanded construction sector.
However, the currency board limited the Bank of Estonia’s ability to curb credit growth, while the fiscal policy
framework amplified the cycle through pro-cyclical spending increases and tax cuts. As credit was mostly financed
by cross-border loans from foreign banks, the risks of disruptions to credit flows and financial contagion have
increased. Some have already materialised through tightened lending standards and capital outflows.
Estonia is now in a severe recession. To restore high and sustainable growth, the country will need to rebalance
its resources from non-tradables towards exports. Regaining external competitiveness will be challenging, however,
given the fixed exchange rate and recent devaluations in partner countries. Flexibility of the economy will thus be
crucial. Over the medium term, policymakers could also strengthen incentives for a better functioning of the housing
finance market and gradually remove the pro-cyclical bias of fiscal policy.
Mots-clés: Estonia, capital inflows, boom-bust cycle, household debt, credit
JEL:
E62: Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics / Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook / Fiscal Policy;
E3: Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics / Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles;
C2: Mathematical and Quantitative Methods / Single Equation Models; Single Variables
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