Towards an effective fiscal stimulus : evidence from Botswana

Abstract: While there is a general agreement on the effectiveness of fiscal stimulus, there is no consensus on which stimulus is better. To address this concern, this paper uses a Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (DSGE) model to propose a fiscal stimulus that Botswana can adopt given the slowing mining productivity. The results suggest that short-run macroeconomic stabilisation can be achieved through a cut in labour taxes. This fiscal stimulus generates larger growth multipliers and contributes relatively more employment compared to a cut in consumption tax and increases in government spending. The findings also revealed that a cut in labour taxes improves trade balance, resulting in a greater accumulation of international reserves and has no Dutch disease effects. These results suggest the need for a labour tax policy reform. These results also offer some policy options for other developing countries, which may face similar fiscal risks in future

Methods to Assess the Thermal Properties of the Building Envelope

The thermal properties of the building envelope are crucial in building energy performance. The variation of envelope thermal values (e.g. through the regulation of a country) directly influences building energy performance. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG