Sangsubhan and Basri (2012) provide a detailed account of fiscal measures implemented
by Thailand and Indonesia in response to the global financial crisis (GFC), and analyze
the effectiveness of expenditure versus revenue-based measures in delivering GDP
growth. They find that while the GFC’s impact differed in each country, both countries
entered the crisis with sufficient fiscal space, providing room for fiscal support for their
respective economies. In Thailand, while targeted measures on expenditure were deemed
effective, they were untimely, particularly when compared to quasi-fiscal measures such
as credit expansion via specialized financial institutions. In Indonesia, in an environment
characterized by lags in disbursement, tax cuts were deemed more effective than expenditure.
However, their effectiveness diminishes when the tax cuts are targeted at the
highest income earners or corporates. Sangsubhan and Basri conclude by noting the risk
of a new normal of ‘stimulus expectations’ built into budgets which prevent fiscal balances
from returning to their pre-crisis levels.