The Empirical Analysis of Fiscal Dominance in Iran: Structural VAR Approach

Fiscal dominance impedes the effective implementation of any monetary strategy aimed at controlling inflation. In the case of economies in which oil exports largely affect the main macroeconomic variables, the standard indicators which are used to gauge the presence of fiscal dominance may fail to give appropriate signals, and fiscal dominance might be present even with fiscal surpluses and relatively low levels of public sector debts. The present paper aims to test the hypothesis of the presence of fiscal dominance in the case of Iran, as an oil-exporting country. The presence of fiscal dominance has been examined throughout the period 1979-2012, using the indicator (GAMMA) introduced by Da Costa and Olivo. Moreover, a structural VAR model has been employed to identify dynamic interactions between fiscal and monetary policies. The empirical results of the study indicate that the monetary policies have been called upon to solve fiscal unsustainability, through the monetization of the government debts. Also, the expansion of the money base, forced by fiscal authorities, has prevented monetary strategies from being effective in controlling inflation.