GOVERNMENT SIZE AND GROWTH: A SURVEY AND INTERPRETATION OF THE EVIDENCE

Abstract The literature on the relationship between the size of government and economic growth is full of seemingly contradictory findings. This conflict is largely explained by variations in definitions and the countries studied. An alternative approach – of limiting the focus to studies of the relationship in rich countries, measuring government size as total taxes or total expenditure relative to GDP and relying on panel data estimations with variation over time – reveals a more consistent picture. The most recent studies find a significant negative correlation: an increase in government size by 10 percentage points is associated with a 0.5% to 1% lower annual growth rate. We discuss efforts to make sense of this correlation, and note several pitfalls involved in giving it a causal interpretation. Against this background, we discuss two explanations of why several countries with high taxes seem able to enjoy above average growth. One hypothesis is that countries with higher social trust levels are able to develop larger government sectors without harming the economy. Another explanation is that countries with large governments compensate for high taxes and spending by implementing market‐friendly policies in other areas. Both explanations are supported by ongoing research.     

PRODUCTIVE GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE AND ECONOMIC GROWTH

Abstract.  We provide a comprehensive survey of the recent literature on the link between productive government expenditure and economic growth. We show that an understanding of the core results and the ensuing contributions can be gained from the study of their respective Euler equations. We argue that the existing literature incorporates many relevant aspects; however, policy recommendations tend to hinge on several knife-edge assumptions. Therefore, future research ought to focus more on idea-based endogenous growth models to check the robustness of policy recommendations. Moreover, the inclusion of hitherto unexplored types of government expenditure, e.g. on the 'rule of law', would be desirable.     

Factor taxation and labor supply in a dynamic one-sector growth model

This paper studies a class of AK-type growth models with factor income taxes, public capital stock and labor–leisure trade offs. While a higher capital tax rate reduces economic growth in the short run, the long-term growth effect is ambiguous and remains ambiguous even if the level of tax rate is larger than the degree of government externality. A higher labor income tax rate has ambiguous growth effects both in the short and long runs. However, if the intertemporal elasticity of substitution for labor supply is sufficiently small, a higher labor tax rate always lowers economic growth in the long run, despite the existence of productive government taxation.     

Growth and government: Is there a difference between developed and developing countries?

I examine the role of government in the growth of 64 industrialized and developing countries, considering both expenditure and financing aspects of government. Recognizing that there may be differences between the two country groups, I estimate both standard OLS and dummy variable regressions. The general conclusion is that although most fiscal variables are not significantly related to economic growth, the means of financing matters more than government spending. I find that seigniorage and the budget surplus are important for growth, but the LDCs is the group that drive the results in all regressions.     

经济制度和我国经济增长效率的实证研究

本文根据经济制度和经济增长作用模型,利用一国经济制度和经济增长指标的面板数据（Panel Data）,对经济制度和我国经济增长的作用机制进行实证研究.结果表明,近年来我国经济制度对经济增长不仅是重要而且是有效率的,并且政府对当前的经济增长起着决定性的作用.同时,我国宏观经济治理结构模型表明,我国经济增长存在最佳的经济制度安排,以经济增长为目标的政府治理能够实现我国最优的经济增长.     

生产性公共支出、最优税收与经济增长

本文在严成樑和龚六堂(2009)的基础上将消费性公共支出内生到家庭的效用函数中,在一个DGE框架下求解竞争性均衡问题,以此来考察生产性公共支出和税收对经济增长的影响。结论表明,生产性支出具有正的产出效应;生产性支出对家庭私人消费、公共消费的影响取决于政府设定的平滑税率。根据经验分析可知,生产性支出对经济的促进作用不如人口效应大,其中,基本建设支出并未对经济起到促进作用,可能已凸显出过度投资、重复建设等问题,这一现象在东西部地区更为明显;教育支出的增加促进了经济增长,并且在东中部地区较明显,而在西部地区仍未体现出来。     

政府债务对经济增长的影响及作用渠道

基于1960～2010年113个国家的面板数据集,运用系统广义矩动态面板方法和稳健性分析,比较发达国家和发展中国家政府债务经济增长效应的差异,并尝试分析政府债务影响经济增长的渠道。研究结果显示,政府债务对经济增长有非线性影响;发达国家政府债务对经济增长、投资以及全要素生产率均无显著影响;发展中国家对政府债务的直接承受力更弱,但在一个宽松的临界点内,政府债务的增加可以提高投资率。     

FDI是否提升了发展中东道国的经济增长质量

利用PCA方法测算主要发展中引资国的经济增长质量,采用静态面板和系统GMM方法考查了FDI的作用及政府的影响。研究发现,亚太、非洲和拉美地区的经济增长质量基本呈稳步上升趋势,FDI显著提升了东道国的增长质量,其贡献主要在于对增长效率和可持续性方面的作用,政府对有效利用外资具有积极作用。子样本分析显示：亚太地区外资作用最为显著,拉美地区政府干预效果最好;政府作用随市场化进程逐渐降低,自由流动的FDI更符合良性增长的要求。     

政府资助研发促进国际贸易与经济增长作用研究

本文在相关文献研究基础上,对政府资助研发活动对经济增长和国际贸易发展的影响机制和乘数作用进行了研究,构建了政府资助研发资金对经济增长和国际贸易发展的影响机制模型,提出了政府资助研发资金经济增长乘数和政府资助研发资金国际贸易发展乘数的概念,并运用协整理论对我国1991-2010年数据进行了实证,计算出了具体乘数,分析了当前我国政府资助研发资金在促进经济增长和国际贸易发展方面存在问题并提出政策建议.     

Fiscal Policy and Economic Growth

This paper surveys the literature on fiscal policy and economic growth. We present a unifying framework for the analysis of long run growth implications of government expenditures and revenues. We find that several tax rates and expenditure categories exhibit a direct impact on the growth rate of the economy. In a creative synthesis we have assigned the relevant literature to the twelve introduced policy variables. Due to the equivalence of some policy variables we are left with six degrees of freedom, where we need four to internalize the model's intrinsic externalities, leaving two instruments to conduct short run fiscal policy.     

中国政府公务人员规模和结构的实证分析

中国现有政府公务人员规模总量较大,能够适应政府履职的需要,面临的主要问题是膨胀压力巨大、分布结构不尽合理。调整的思路是结合行政体制改革,在控制总量的前提下加大分布结构调整的力度,提高人员使用效率。     

市场化进程中的税制结构变迁

本文研究了在市场化进程的不同阶段税制结构与经济增长和福利改善之间的关系。理论研究表明,以商品税为主的税制结构促进了鞍点路径上的经济增长和福利改善,并加速了市场化进程。随着市场化进程的不断推进,当前税制结构对于经济增长和福利改善的正向影响程度逐渐降低,而商品税税率的适度下调可以实现鞍点路径上福利水平最大化。与之相对,商品税占比过高或过低的税制结构,都会出现福利水平的相对损失。实证结果也显示,我国现行税制结构中生产性间接税可以促进经济增长和社会福利的改善,并且市场化程度对这一影响具有显著的调节效应。因此,随着中国经济发展进入“新常态”,政府应进一步简政放权,减少对市场的直接干预,适度调整税制结构,降低间接税比重,实现经济持续增长和福利不断改善。     

中国经济波动与增长的福利成本分析

本文借鉴Lucas（1987）及Alvarez和Jermann（2004）的研究模型,将非平稳的消费序列分解为周期波动成分和增长趋势成分,估算中国经济波动与经济增长的总福利成本和边际福利成本,得到以下主要结论：（1）无论是经济波动还是经济增长方面,边际福利成本均为总福利成本的2倍左右。（2）中国经济波动与增长的福利成本在1952~2010年呈现显著的阶段性特征,1952~1990年间经济波动的福利成本显著大于1991~2010年间,而后一阶段经济增长的福利成本也远远大于前一阶段。结合这一发现,我们认为宏观调控应增强中国经济的稳定性,着重防范内外部因素对经济增长趋势的不确定冲击。     

FINANCIAL LIBERALIZATION IN SUB‐SAHARAN AFRICA: WHAT DO WE KNOW?

Abstract Beginning from the early 1980s countries in Sub‐Saharan Africa embarked on financial liberalization policies with a view to reversing the ill‐effects of financial repression. This paper provides a survey of financial liberalization in Sub‐Saharan African countries over the period 1980 to 2004. Our review of empirical studies showed that financial liberalization has had diverse and contrasting effects on savings, investment and economic growth. Most studies found a significant positive effect of financial liberalization on investment whereas its effect on savings has been largely insignificant. The evidence on the effect on economic growth is inconclusive as different studies find contrasting results. It is found that financial liberalization policies have not had the desired and expected results as both financial and macroeconomic variables have not improved following financial liberalization in these countries. This calls for a rethinking of financial liberalization in Sub‐Saharan African countries. It is important that financial liberalization is carried out in a stable macroeconomic environment. In addition to this, there should be a building and reform of institutions and the strengthening of prudential regulation. Following this, financial liberalization can be embarked upon but it must be properly sequenced and not rushed.     

HOW TO MEASURE THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF VECTOR‐BORNE DISEASES AT COUNTRY LEVEL

Vector‐borne diseases (VBDs) are widespread in less developed countries and reemerging in developed ones. Available economic studies agree that VBDs have significant effects on countries' economic outcomes, and affirm that a systematic evaluation of such effects is crucial for the efficient allocation of resources to health‐related priorities. This paper provides a comparative assessment of available methodologies for measuring the economic impact of VBDs at national level. We review both macroeconometric and micro‐based approaches, and examine advantages and disadvantages of current methods. We conclude by suggesting possible areas for future research.     

Does politics make a difference?

Abstract

The concern of this article is the nature of the politics of public expenditure and whether changes in government between the Conservative Governments of Mrs Thatcher and the Blair Governments did reflect differences in policy priorities? The Thatcher Government in 1979 had announced that public expenditure was at the heart of Britain's economic problems. The Blair Governments did not seek to change the expenditure plans outlined by the outgoing Chancellor Kenneth Clarke. This study seeks to show that the analysis of data using long term trends for the post war period that the during the years of the Thatcher Government they government did manage to hold expenditure below its long term grwoth trends which in turn meant reductions in health and education spending while there were additional spending in law and order and defence. By contrast the Blair Government has managed to reverse this trend so that during the years of the Balir Government expenditure on socal provision has been expanding above the trend.     

CORRUPTION'S DIRECT EFFECTS ON PER‐CAPITA INCOME GROWTH: A META‐ANALYSIS

Corruption is a symptom of weak institutional quality and could have potentially adverse effects on economic growth. However, heterogeneity in reported findings makes it difficult to synthesize the evidence base with a view to test competing hypotheses and/or support evidence‐based policy and practice. To address this issue, we have extracted 327 estimates of corruption's direct effect on per‐capita GDP growth from 29 primary studies, following a peer‐reviewed and pre‐published systematic review protocol. Precision‐effect and funnel asymmetry tests indicate that corruption has a negative effect on per‐capita GDP growth after controlling for publication selection bias and within‐study dependence. However, multivariate meta‐regression analysis results indicate that the overall effect is not robust to inclusion of moderating variables through a general‐to‐specific procedure for model specification. We report that the marginal effect of corruption on per‐capita GDP growth is more adverse when the primary study estimates relate to long‐run growth, are based on low‐income‐country data only, and extracted from journal papers. The effect is less adverse in studies that use the International Country Risk Guide corruption perceptions index and in those reporting estimates from two‐stage least‐squares estimations.