Private capital inflows, institutions and economic growth in Africa

Author(s):  
Friday Osemenshan Anetor ◽  
Simeon Oludiran Akinleye ◽  
Folorunso Sunday Ayadi
2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Friday Osemenshan Anetor

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of shocks in the various components of private capital inflows on economic growth in Nigeria using quarterly data in the period 1986Q1–2016Q4. Design/methodology/approach The study employs the impulse response function and the forecast error variance decomposition of the structural vector autoregression (SVAR) model. Findings The research result shows that shocks in foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows and portfolio investment inflows have a positive and significant impact on economic growth in Nigeria. In addition, FDIs accounted for significant variation in the growth of the Nigerian economy followed by portfolio investments, while personal remittances exerted the least variation in growth. Practical implications The government should promote a favorable macroeconomic environment for existing and potential foreign investors to ensure the continued inflows of FDI and portfolio investment. Originality/value The novelty of this study lies in disaggregating private capital inflows and analyzing the effect of the shock of each component on the growth of the Nigerian economy using SVAR.


1988 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 302-310
Author(s):  
Raj Aggarwal

In the current environment of significant global change, how can declining levels of development aid and private capital inflows be best used to promote economic growth in the developing countries? This question is addressed here and traditional analysis of this topic is complemented by taking a perspective that focuses on the limitations of how development aid and foreign capital inflows are usually allocated. It is suggested here that poor countries can benefit from a greater use of competitive markets to allocate development aid and private capital inflows.


2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-44
Author(s):  
Soliu Adegboyega ◽  
◽  
Temidayo Akinbobola ◽  
Felix Ajayi ◽  
◽  
...  

This paper explores by re-examining to what extent trade liberalisation has contributed to the capital inflows (both the private capital inflows and public capital inflow) on economic growth; and their interactive relationship in Nigeria between 1985 and 2018. Time series for each of the variables were collected from secondary sources on yearly basis, extracted from World Development Indicators (WDI) and the variables were measured as percentage of GDP, while Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) technique is used to show the extent to which the variables were co-integrated and established that both private capital inflows and public capital inflows with the helps of trade liberalization inhibited economic growth in Nigeria. The study further revealed that the coefficient of error correction was negative and highly significant, as well as establishing long-term cointegration. Also, our study affirms partial existence of Bhagwati's hypothesis. Hence, the government needs to restructure and reengineer most of its trade policies, in order to significantly mpact various forms of foreign capital inflows, and subsequently enhance economic growth by creating an enabling economic environment to facilitate adequate inflows of capital inflows.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-92
Author(s):  
Friday Osemenshan Anetor

Purpose This study aims to examine the relationship between private capital inflows, financial development and economic growth in 28 sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries between the periods 1995 and 2017. Design/methodology/approach The study used a secondary source of data obtained from the world development indicator (WDI) and used the system generalized method of moments (SGMM) and dynamic panel threshold regression to analyze the data. Findings The study found that foreign direct investment has a negative and significant impact on the economic growth of SSA. The study also found that portfolio investment has a positive impact on economic growth but it is statistically insignificant. However, when portfolio investment interacted with financial development, it became positive and statistically significant presupposing that financial development is a necessary condition for portfolio investment to exert impact on economic growth. Further, the study showed that the interaction of foreign direct investment with financial development has a negative and significant effect on economic growth. Finally, the study found the minimum threshold of financial development at 42.66 per cent. Practical implications Policymakers in SSA should be cautious and critical in the kind of foreign direct investment they attract as the open door policy to attract all kinds of foreign direct investment would not bring about the desired result. Also, policymakers in the region should develop and implement policies that would deepen and strengthen the financial system to foster the development of the country’s financial sector and accelerate economic growth. Originality/value The contribution of the study lies in establishing a minimum threshold of financial development; thus, providing a clear-cut direction for policymakers in SSA countries in their pursuit of financial development and economic growth.


1998 ◽  
Vol 37 (4I) ◽  
pp. 125-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohsin S. Khan

The surge of private capital flows to developing countries that occurred in the 1990s has been the most significant phenomenon of the decade for these countries. By the middle of the decade many developing countries in Asia and Latin America were awash with private foreign capital. In contrast to earlier periods when the scarcity of foreign capital dominated economic policy-making in these countries, the issue now for governments was how to manage the largescale capital inflows to generate higher rates ofinvestrnent and growth. While a number of developing countries were able to benefit substantially from the private foreign financing that globalisation made available to them, it also became apparent that capital inflows were not a complete blessing and could even turn out to be a curse. Indeed, in some countries capital inflows led to rapid monetary expansion, inflationary pressures, real exchange rate appreciation, fmancial sector difficulties, widening current account deficits, and a rapid build-up of foreign debt. In addition, as the experience of Mexico in 1994 and the Asian crisis of 1997-98 demonstrated, financial integration and globalisation can cut both ways. Private capital flows are volatile and eventually there can be a large reversal of capital because of changes in expected asset returns, investor herding behaviour, and contagion effects. Such reversals can lead to recessions and serious problems for financial systems. This paper examines the characteristics, causes and consequences of capital flows to developing countries in the 1990s. It also highlights the appropriate policy responses for governments facing such inflows, specifically to prevent overheating of the economy, and to limit the vulnerability to reversals of capital flows.


2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 277-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Ifeakachukwu Nwosa ◽  
Temidayo Oladiran Akinbobola

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Assad Ullah ◽  
Muhammad Anees ◽  
Zahid Ali ◽  
Muhammad Ayub Khan

Greater inflows of private capital are regarded to be very beneficial for the economic development. This study explores the relationship between economic freedom and private capital inflows in selected South Asian economies. The study comprises of six South Asian countries (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Maldives). Data from 2002 to 2011 have been utilized, and the model is estimated by employing the system generalized method of moments (GMM) approach. Empirical results reveal a significant positive relationship between economic freedom and private capital inflows. The study transpired that economic freedom is potent determinant of private capital inflows. The results further established that growth in market size and official development assistance has significant positive association with private capital inflows, whereas exchange rate exhibits significant negative relationship with the inflows of private capital, thereby confirming the existing literature. Moreover, the relationship among inflation, natural resources and private capital inflows came out to be inconclusive. To lure more inflows of private capital towards the region, management authorities need to ensure high degree of economic freedom. Creation of investment-friendly climate, corruption-free environment, tax breaks in selective sectors, removing trade barriers, equity market liberalization and consistency in the government policies is advisable in this regard.


Author(s):  
P. Mozias

South African rand depreciated in 2013–2014 under the influence of a number of factors. Internationally, its weakness was associated with the capital outflow from all emerging markets as a result of QE’s tapering in the US. Domestically, rand plummeted because of the deterioration of the macroeconomic stance of South Africa itself: economic growth stalled and current account deficit widened again. Consumer spending was restrained with the high household indebtedness, investment climate worsened with the wave of bloody strikes, and net export was still prone to J-curve effect despite the degree of the devaluation happened. But, in its turn, those problems are a mere reflection of the deep institutional misbalances inherent to the very model of the national economy. Saving rate is too low in South Africa. This leads not only to an insufficient investment, but also to trade deficits and overdependence on speculative capital inflows. Extremely high unemployment means that the country’s economic potential is substantially underutilized. Joblessness is generated, first and foremost, by the dualistic structure of the national entrepreneurship. Basic wages are being formed by way of a bargaining between big public and semi state companies, on the one hand, and trade unions associated with the ruling party, on the other. Such a system is biased towards protection of vested interests of those who earn money in capital-intensive industries. At the same time, these rates of wages are prohibitively high for a small business; so far private companies tend to avoid job creation. A new impulse to economic development is likely to emerge only through the government’s efforts to mitigate disproportions and to pursue an active industrial policy. National Development Plan adopted in 2012 is a practical step in that direction. But the growth of public investment is constrained by a necessity of fiscal austerity; as a result, the budget deficit remained too large in recent years. South African Reserve Bank will have to choose between a stimulation of economic growth with low interest rates, on the one hand, and a support of rand by tightening of monetary policy, on the other. This dilemma will greatly influence prices of securities and yields at South African financial markets.


2011 ◽  
pp. 271-282
Author(s):  
Herwig Ostermann ◽  
Roland Staudinger

Regarded from a historical perspective, the appearance of corruption is not a new phenomenon at all. It can be traced back to the ancient civilizations of China, Egypt, Greece, India, Israel, and Rome, which all provide evidence of widespread illegality and corruption. In spite of its long history, corruption increasingly became a political issue in the 1990s: corruption scandals contributed substantially to the resignation of governments in Ecuador, Brazil, India, and Italy and unsettled well-established ruling parties in Japan and Mexico (Lash, 2004; Sen, 1999). According to Sen (1999), “the prevalence of corruption is rightly regarded as one of the major stumbling blocks in the path to successful economic progress, for example in many Asian and African countries” (p. 275). Dudley (2000) estimates that 30% of the money spent annually for international development loans are diverted from productive pursuits because of corruption. Additionally, countries perceived as being corrupt suffer from lower (private) capital inflows, as foreign investors are deterred by corruption and its associated phenomena, which include bureaucratic red tape, mismanagement and the lack of secure property rights (Transparency International (TI), 2004). Overall, the cost of corruption represents 5% of the volume of total global output or more than 1.5 trillion dollars a year according to “rough, but conservative” World Bank estimates (United Nations, 2003c). Table 1 aims to illustrate the scale of political corruption by presenting estimates of the funds allegedly embezzled by 10 notorious (but not necessarily the most corrupt) leaders of the last 20 years.


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