The Relationship Between Growth,Total Investment and Inward FDI: Evidence from Time Series Data

This paper explores the causal relationship between growth, total investment and inward FDI in 47 countries. Using error‐correction model, the significance, direction and sign of long‐run and short‐run causal effects between GDP, capital stock and FDI stock are investigated. The miscellaneous results echo the divergent theoretical viewpoints and the mixed empirical results of previous works. However, the evidence found in this study suggests that there are differences in growth mechanism between developed and developing countries, between various developing regions, and between oil‐exporting and non‐oil‐exporting countries. The main policy implication is that capital investment is essential for growth while FDI’s effect is uncertain in developing countries. FDI as well as total investment enhances growth only under some conditions.     

IMMIGRATION UNEMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIP: THE EVIDENCE FROM CANADA*

This paper examines the relationship between unemployment and immigration in Canada. The bi‐directional causality test finds no evidence of a significant effect of Canadian immigration on unemployment. Cointegration tests indicate that there is no observed increase in aggregate unemployment due to immigration in the long run. The results from the causality test based on the vector error correction model confirm that, in the short run, past unemployment does cause (less) immigration but not vice versa. There is also a long‐run positive relationship among per‐capita GDP, immigration rate and real wages. The results indicate that, in the short‐run, more immigration is possibly associated with attractive Canadian immigration policies, and in the long‐run, as the labour market adjusts, Canadian‐born workers are likely to benefit from increased migration.     

Determinants of renewable energy adoption in China and India: a comparative analysis

This article examines the dynamic relationships among output, carbon emission and renewable energy generation of India and China during the period 1972 to 2011 using a multivariate vector error correction model (VECM). The results for India reveal unidirectional short-run causality from carbon emission to renewable energy generation and from renewable energy generation to output, whereas in the long run, the variables have bidirectional causality. Causalities in China give a rather different scenario, with a short-run unidirectional causality from output to renewable energy and from carbon emission to renewable energy generation. In the long run, for China, unidirectional causality is found from output to renewable energy generation, while bidirectional causality is found between carbon emission and renewable energy generation.     

Analysing the effects of fiscal policy shocks in the South African economy

This paper is the first one to analyse the effect of aggregate government spending and taxes on output for South Africa using three types of a calibrated DSGE model and more data driven models such as a structural vector error correction model (SVECM) and a time-varying parameter VAR (TVP-VAR) to capture possible asymmetries and time variation of fiscal impulses. The impulse responses indicate first, that increases in government expenditure have a positive impact, albeit (at times) less than unity, on GDP in the short run; second, over the long run, the impact of government expenditure on GDP is insignificant; and third, increases in taxes decrease GDP over the short run, while having negligible effects over longer horizons.     

Foreign Direct Investment,Financial Development and Their Impact on the GDP Growth in Low-income Countries

ABSTRACT

This essay empirically studies the effects and causal links between foreign direct investment (FDI), financial development (FD) and economic growth. The sample consists of the main economies of low-income countries and the study covers the period 1990–2015. The results of the estimate show that, under certain specific economic conditions, FDI affects positively the level of long-term economic growth; it thus makes it possible to improve the economic situation of these countries. Using Johansen’s cointegration technique, the results find that FD; FDI and GDP growth are cointegrated, that shows the pursuit of the long-term equilibrium relationship between them. The error correction model confirms the existence of a double causal relationship between FDI and GDP growth, and between FD and FDI and between GDP growth and FD.     

Time-varying linkages between tourism receipts and economic growth in South Africa

The causal link between tourism receipts and GDP has recently become a major focus in the tourism economics literature. Results obtained in recent studies about the causal link appear to be sensitive with respect to the countries analysed, sample period and methodology employed. Considering the sensitivity of the causal link, we use rolling window and time-varying coefficient estimation methods to analyse the parameter stability and Granger causality based on a vector error correction model (VECM). When applied to South Africa for the period 1960–2011, the findings are as follows: results from the full-sample VECM indicate that there is no Granger causality between tourism receipts and GDP, while the findings from the time-varying coefficients model based on the state-space representation show that tourism receipts have positive-predictive content for GDP for the entire period, with the exception of the period between 1985 and 1990. Full-sample time-varying causality tests show bidirectional strong causality between tourism receipts and GDP.     

出口贸易与经济增长关系的协整分析——基于天津市1980—2007年的数据

本文利用天津1980～2007年的年度统计数据,对天津的出口与经济增长之间的关系进行了实证研究。研究表明：从短期来看,出口对同期和后一期的天津经济增长都具有促进作用;从长期来看,天津出口与经济增长之间存在长期的均衡关系;从两者之间的关系来看,天津经济增长和出口贸易互为因果关系。最后,提出了进一步发展出口贸易,促进天津经济持续增长的政策建议。     

The impact of electricity prices on foreign direct investment: evidence from the European Union

We examine the impact of electricity price variation on net FDI (%GDP) inflows in countries of the European Union. We use panel data of 27 EU countries for a period of 2003 – 2013. We show that electricity prices of south-western and north-eastern EU countries did not converge to one price until now. Dynamic panel data analysis using system GMM shows that besides unit labour costs, tax rates and competitive disadvantage in secondary education, also higher electricity prices reduce countries’ ability to attract FDI. The immediate effects are statistically significant across both sub-regions analysed: in the short run, a 10% increase in electricity prices leads to a decrease in net FDI inflows as a share of GDP by 0.4 percentage points for the south-western and 0.33 for the north-eastern region. In the long run, the response is 0.60 percentage points for south-western and 0.48 for north-eastern regions. Policies should aim at reducing electricity market price differences on the European level through investment in transborder transmission capacity; reductions in FDI, when environmental policy increases after-tax electricity prices, should be countered by other tax reductions as well as harmonization of property rights, absence of corruption and labour market regulations at best-practice level.     

A vector error-correction forecasting model of the US economy

Any research or policy analysis in economics must be consistent with the time-series properties of observed macroeconomic data. Numerous previous studies reinforce the need to specify correctly a model’s multivariate stochastic structure. This paper discusses in detail the specification of a vector error correction forecasting model that is anchored by long-run equilibrium relationships suggested by economic theory. The model includes six variables––the CPI, the GDP price index, real money balances (M1), the federal funds rate, the yield on long-term (10-year) government bonds, and real GDP––and four cointegrating vectors. The accuracy of VECM model forecasts for individual, univariate time series during for the 1990s is comparable to forecasts made by government agencies and private forecasters, perhaps because many forecasters share a similar implicit, long-run steady-state growth model of the economy. Judged by multivariate statistics that account for forecast-error covariance, VECM forecasts are found to be somewhat more accurate than a naïve random-walk alternative.     

Do we need a global VAR model to forecast inflation and output in South Africa?

This study determines whether the global vector autoregressive (GVAR) approach provides better forecasts of key South African variables than a vector error correction model (VECM) and a Bayesian vector autoregressive (BVAR) model augmented with foreign variables. The article considers both a small GVAR model and a large GVAR model in determining the most appropriate model for forecasting South African variables. We compare the recursive out-of-sample forecasts for South African GDP and inflation from six types of models: a general 33 country (large) GVAR, a customized small GVAR for South Africa, a VECM for South Africa with weakly exogenous foreign variables, a BVAR model, autoregressive (AR) models and random walk models. The results show that the forecast performance of the large GVAR is generally superior to the performance of the customized small GVAR for South Africa. The forecasts of both the GVAR models tend to be better than the forecasts of the augmented VECM, especially at longer forecast horizons. Importantly, however, on average, the BVAR model performs the best when it comes to forecasting output, while the AR(1) model outperforms all the other models in predicting inflation. We also conduct ex ante forecasts from the BVAR and AR(1) models over 2010:Q1–2013:Q4 to highlight their ability to track turning points in output and inflation, respectively.     

Shocks and rigidities as determinants of CEE labour markets’ performance

In this article, the impact of real wage, productivity, labour demand and supply shocks on eight Central and Eastern European (CEE) economies from 1996–2007 is analysed with a panel structural vector error correction model. A set of long‐run restrictions derived from the dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model is used to identify structural shocks, and fluctuations in foreign demand are controlled for. We find that the propagation of shocks on CEE labour markets resembles that found for OECD countries. Labour demand shocks emerge as the main determinant of employment and unemployment variability in the short‐to‐medium run, but wage rigidities were equally important for observed labour market performance, especially in Poland, Czech Republic and Lithuania. We associate these rigidities with collective bargaining, minimum wage, active labour market policies and employment protection legislation.     

外商直接投资对中国就业影响的实证研究——基于1985—2009年的时间序列数据

基于协整理论、误差修正模型和格兰杰因果检验,根据中国1985-2009年的时间序列数据和Cobb-Douglas生产函数的修正模型,分析外商直接投资对我国就业的影响,结果表明:短期内外商直接投资对就业并无明显促进作用,从长期来看,外商直接投资对就业的贡献程度低于国内固定资产投资对就业的贡献程度。政府应打破垄断,放宽投资条件,并运用多种经济手段,鼓励外资进入劳动力密集产业,从而实现双方共赢。     

Testing the effectiveness of the French work-sharing reform: a forecasting approach

The macroeconomic impact of the French work-sharing reform of 2000 (a reduction of standard working hours in combination with wage subsidies) is analysed. Using a vector error correction model (VECM) for several labour market variables, as well as inflation and output, out-of-sample forecasts for 2000/2001 are produced. A comparison of these forecasts – which serve as a benchmark simulation without structural shifts – to the realized values (with shifts) suggests significant beneficial employment effects of the policy mix. Other shifts were absent and thus cannot explain the outcome. Output, productivity, hourly labour costs, and inflation are only transitorily affected or not at all.     

Does the vector error correction model perform better than others in forecasting stock price? An application of residual income valuation theory

This paper employs a multi-equation model approach to consider three statistic problems (heteroskedasticity, endogeneity and persistency), which are sources of bias and inefficiency in the predictive regression models. This paper applied the residual income valuation model (RIM) proposed by Ohlson (1995) to forecast stock prices for Taiwan three sectors. We compare relative forecasting accuracy of vector error correction model (VECM) with the vector autoregressive model (VAR) as well as OLS and RW models used in the prior studies. We conduct out-of-sample forecasting and employ two instruments to assess forecasting performance. Our empirical results suggest that the VECM statistically outperforms other three models in forecasting stock prices. When forecasting horizons extend longer, VECM produces smaller forecasting errors and performs substantially better than VAR, suggesting that the ability of VECM to improve VAR forecast accuracy is stronger with longer horizons. These findings imply that an error correction term (ECT) of the VECM contributes to improving forecast accuracy of stock prices. Our economic significance analyses and robustness tests for different data frequency are in favor of the superiority of VECM estimator.     

城市化、FDI与经济增长间关系的实证分析——以北京市为例

利用1987—2011年北京的时间序列数据,采用单位根检验、协整检验、误差修正模型、Granger因果关系检验和脉冲函数分析等方法和模型,对城市化、FDI与经济增长三者间的长期和短期关系进行了检验和分析。结果表明:城市化与经济增长互为Granger因果关系;城市化与FDI也互为Granger因果关系;经济增长是FDI的Granger原因,但FDI不是经济增长的Granger原因的概率高达31.8%。     

Economic growth and carbon emissions: evidence from CIVETS countries

ABSTRACT

This paper examines whether a long-run relationship exists between CO₂ emissions and selected variables: real gross domestic product per capita, inward stock of foreign direct investments, gross fixed capital formation, industry, value added and energy use per capita for Colombia, Indonesia, Viet Nam, Egypt, Turkey and South Africa countries in the period of 1989–2016. We used panel unit root testing, followed by panel cointegration tests and panel causality. The results clearly prove the existence of a bidirectional long-run causal relationship between all the variables except between CO₂ emissions and GDP and CO₂ emissions and GFCF. Major finding of the short-run causality analysis is that CO₂ emission in the short run does not result in changes of other variables. On the other hand, all variables except foreign direct investments (FDI) cause the changes in the CO₂ emissions, and there is a positive bidirectional causal relationship between GDP and FDI, between GFCF and FDI, and between GFCF and IVA. Finally, positive unidirectional causal relationship also exists, running from GDP to IVA, GDP to ENUSE, IVA to FDI and ENUSE to FDI.     

Are the FDI inflow spillover effects on Malaysia's economic growth input driven?

This paper inspects the influence of human capital, labour force, and absorptive capacity, physical capital as a control variable, foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows and gross domestic product (GDP) on Malaysia's productivity growth. A time series quarterly data from the period of 1999 to 2008 was used. The effects of FDI inflows on human capital, labour force, absorptive capacity and physical capital were investigated. The Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression was applied to estimate the data in the first step and in the second step productivity indicators were calculated. The results show that the FDI inflows and inputs used are negatively contributed to total factor productivity (TFP). Meanwhile, FDI plays a significant role in achieving economic growth through input driven as indicated by the contribution of the TFP. In this regard, a significant positive relationship between human capital, labour force and absorptive capacity which determines the spillover effect on Malaysian economic growth (GDP) was found and the physical capital has shown negative relationship.     

Causal relationship between apparel exports and macroeconomic factors

Apparel exports make a significant contribution to economic growth in major apparel exporting economies such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. This study aims to investigate the causal relationship between apparel export growth and its determinants such as GDP growth, infrastructure, financial development, foreign direct investment (FDI) and labour productivity using panel data from 11 major apparel exporting countries for the period 1996 to 2013. The results confirm a long-run equilibrium association among the variables and reveal that GDP growth, infrastructure, financial development, FDI, and labour productivity have a significant positive influence on apparel export growth. Furthermore, the heterogeneous panel non-causality test results suggest that GDP growth, infrastructure and labour productivity contribute to apparel export growth in the short-run. These findings have several policy implications for the governments of the countries under study.     

On the profitability of commercial banks: the Sri Lankan case

This study determines the factors affecting the profitability of licensed commercial banks (LCBs) in Sri Lanka, including the effect of the prolonged conflict which ended in 2009. Using an error correction model together with data for the period 2006–2014 of 10 major LCBs, the results reveal that, in the short run, capital and liquidity have a positive effect on bank profitability and default loans, interest margin (IM), operating cost, and interest rates (IRs) have a negative effect. In the long run, bank profitability is significantly impacted by default loans, IM, real GDP, inflation, IRs, capital, operating cost, and conflict. The ending of the prolonged conflict has significantly contributed to improved bank performance.     

内陆开放地区对外贸易、资本投资与就业分析——以重庆市为例

根据重庆市1987-2009年的统计数据,利用协整理论和向量误差修正模型(VECM),对重庆市对外贸易、资本投资与就业的关系进行实证分析,结果表明:从长期来看,重庆市进出口与就业之间存在唯一的协整关系;出口对就业具有拉动作用,而进口对就业有阻碍作用,并且出口对就业的促进作用小于进口对就业的抑制作用;而资本投入在一定程度上对劳动力产生了替代性.重庆市应通过协调产业发展、打造对外贸易新平台、均衡资本在区域、行业间的投入促进就业.