One consequence of the recent global financial crisis has been the rapid growth of public debt in advanced economies, which has reached record-high peacetime levels. Emerging market and developing economies appeared more resilient immediately after the 2008-2009 crisis; however, declining commodity prices and decelerating growth during 2014-2016 have weakened their fiscal positions. Faced with a growing debt burden, governments have attempted to determine the 'safe' level of fiscal deficit and public debt. However, there is no single standard of fiscal safety for all economies. Default risk...