The use of financial derivatives in state and local government bond refinancings: Playing with fire or prudent debt management?
Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management
ISSN: 1096-3367
Article publication date: 1 March 2012
Abstract
The esoteric area of financial derivatives has become quite salient in light of the financial crisis of the last few years. In the public sector, state and local governments have increasingly employed derivatives in their bond financings. This paper analyzes state and local governments’ use of a specific type of municipal derivative instrument (a floating-to-fixed interest rate swap) in a specific type of transaction (bond refinancing). The paper provides a case study of an executed bond refinancing transaction that employed a floating-to-fixed interest rate swap quantifying the substantial long-term costs financial derivatives can impart on state and local governments. The paper concludes with some specific lessons learned about debt-related derivative usage for public financial managers and offers some suggestions for further empirical and theoretical research in this area of public financial management.
Citation
Luby, M.J. (2012), "The use of financial derivatives in state and local government bond refinancings: Playing with fire or prudent debt management?", Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management, Vol. 24 No. 1, pp. 1-31. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBAFM-24-01-2012-B001
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2012 by PrAcademics Press