Debt Brake and Public Investment: Reply to Mühlenweg et al. (2024)

The political debate regarding the consequences of the German “debt brake” continues. The arguments against its current design are similar to the arguments brought forward in 2009, when the rule was first introduced. One hot-button issue has always been whether the German debt brake constrains public investment. A recent study by Feld et al. (2024) applies the synthetic control method to address this question. Mühlenweg et al. (2024) criticise their approach, building on well-known arguments against the German debt brake. This article counters their arguments.