Essays on sovereign debt markets

by Lanau Grau, Sergi

This thesis analyzes Collective Action Clauses and Seniority Clauses when: 1) repayment is endogenous and depends on creditor lobbying effort; 2) litigation for full repayment is purely redistributive. There is a positive externality of effort that interacts with asset distribution and contractual clauses. Individual litigation is not desirable from a social point of view since it weakens the incentives to exert effort. Collective Action Clauses block litigation and maximize repayment. The adoption of Seniority Clauses modifies the incentives to exert effort and thus repayment. This effect can be positive or negative. Chapter 2 explores the linkage between sovereign debt crises and manufacturing industry growth using a difference-in-difference methodology. Industries facing tough import competition perform relatively better after a sovereign default. Export-oriented sectors grow more slowly around default times. Industries characterized by high physical capital intensity and asset tangibility tend to suffer less from default episodes.