Fiscal consolidation was not, however, the result of formal fiscal rules. While several countries established legal limits to control spending, deficits, and debt, in some cases –for example, Argentina, Ecuador, and Venezuela – such laws were not enforced.
结果是地区性公共债务从2003年的51%，大幅下降到2008年的28%。但这种财政状况的改善并不是官方财政政策的结果。 虽然有些国家（比方阿根廷、厄瓜多尔和委内瑞拉）在特定情况下制定了控制开支、赤字和债务的法律限制，但上述法律并没有真正得到贯彻。