Government Debt of Ukraine: Tendencies and Consequences

Abstract

Government debt is an ordinary phenomenon in the world economy. Government debt can be a source of investment and can influence the economic development. However, at the same time it can be a burden for the economy. It is proved that in case of financial instability, countries are forced to borrow on the internal and external financial markets, which can influence the economic stability. What is the case for Ukraine? This paper considers the current tendencies of the government debt of Ukraine. It examines the indicators of government indebtedness and their impact on the economy. The state and structure of the government debt of Ukraine have been analyzed. The results show the existence of a range of risks that can influence the economic development in Ukraine. The risks of high amounts of external government borrowings, the increase of state-guaranteed debt, ineffective usage of borrowed resources, and lack of control have been analyzed. The article presents propositions for the debt management improvement in Ukraine. The importance of government debt of Ukraine decrease has been proved. The propositions to cut the official level of government indebtedness has been expressed. Government borrowings can be an effective instrument for the development of the economy and the infrastructure development, but only on condition of effective usage and maintenance of a limited amount of government indebtedness.

Keywords

• government
• debt
• borrowing
• management
• restructuring
• sovereign
• default
• ukraine