Questions related to the accrual of debt, may it be a nation, organization or person in a political landscape. Use this tag alongside the relevant tag in the context of the question i.e. a country if necessary.
Questions tagged [debt]
127 questions
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Are there any negative consequences for a country having no debt?
It would seem that having no debt would categorically be a good thing. I have heard Dave Ramsey say many times that:
The Forbes 400 is a list of the richest 400 people in America as rated by Forbes magazine. When surveyed, 75% of the Forbes 400…
mikeazo
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What's the purpose for a country to maintain a large public debt?
Many countries keep a national debt over 50% of their GDP every year, including first world countries. They owe each other and also to banks, companies and households.
As I understand, it wouldn't make sense for an individual or company to make new…
Victor Basso
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What countries have (at some point in history) been able to significantly reduce their country's debt and what policies are generally attributed?
As we here in the US (and many others in other countries) worry about our mounting debt, I wonder if there are any historical examples of countries (including the US) which have been able to significantly reduce their debt (real debt, not as percent…
mikeazo
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What specifically happens to a country when it defaults on its debt?
Background
Back in March of last year, Lebanon defaulted on its debt and has since been in a state of abject discombobulation. But the effects of this just seem to add on effect to a country that is already suffering from a big refugee crisis, which…
isakbob
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Is there a ranking of countries based on debt, with unfunded liabilities included?
The "Truth In Accounting" website claims that the US has $123 trillion of debt, if "unfunded liabilities" are taken into account. Is there a global ranking of states based on such unfunded liabilities?
JonathanReez
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