GDP-linked bonds and sovereign default

Working Paper No. 484
By David Barr, Oliver Bush and Alex Pienkowski

Using a calibrated model of endogenous sovereign default, we explore how GDP-linked bonds can raise the maximum sustainable debt level of a government, and substantially reduce the incidence of default. The model explores both the costs (in particular the GDP risk premium) and the benefits of issuing GDP-linked bonds. It concludes that significant welfare gains can be achieved by indexing debt to GDP.