Corruption, public debt and economic growth – evidence from developing countries

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carole Ibrahim

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the effect of corruption on public debt and economic growth in 20 developing countries over the period 1996-2018. Design/methodology/approach This study makes use of the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model to detect the long-term relationships, on the one hand, between corruption and public debt and, on the other hand, between corruption and economic growth. Findings The empirical results reveal that corruption increases the debt-to-GDP ratio and that the interactions between corruption and public revenues and between corruption and public spending have a positive influence on public debt in the long run. The estimations also show that high corruption hampers long-term economic growth and increases the negative effect of public debt on economic growth in developing countries. Originality/value While corruption is a prevalent phenomenon in most developing countries, the literature still lacks empirical examination of its economic effects. This study fills this gap with the aim of highlighting that high corruption hinders development in developing nations. This study also examines the impact of the interactions between corruption and components of the fiscal balance on public debt. Moreover, while the existing empirical literature uses regression techniques, this paper uses a panel ARDL approach to detect the long-term effects of corruption.

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 580 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nguyen Thi Canh, PhD. Prof. ◽  
Nguyen Anh Phong, PhD.

<p><em>This study used a quantitative method to assess the impact of public investment on private investment and economic growth based on data from 18 developing countries over a 21-year period (1995-2015) by applying PVAR model combined with GMM. The findings show that all public investment and public-private partnership investments affect private investment as well as affect economic growth but the effects vary cyclically, by time period, and by group of countries.</em></p><p><em>For the ASEAN developing countries, public investment crowds out private investment in short term and crowds in private investment in the medium and long term, but it crowds out public-private partnership investment. For the developing countries in Asia, public investment has a positive impact on economic growth with the inverted U-shaped pattern which stimulates growth in the short and medium term, but in the long-term effects of stimulation growth tend to decrease.</em></p>


2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 23-38
Author(s):  
Talknice Saungweme ◽  
Nicholas M. Odhiambo

Abstract This paper contributes to the ongoing debate on the impact of public debt service on economic growth; and it provides an evidence-based approach to public policy formulation in Zimbabwe. The empirical analysis was performed by applying the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) technique to annual time-series data from 1970 to 2017. The study findings reveal that the impact of public debt service on economic growth in Zimbabwe is negative in the short run but positive in the long run. The results are suggestive of the existence of a crowding-out effect of public debt service in Zimbabwe in the short run and a crowding-in effect in the long run. In view of these findings, the government should consider fiscal and financial policies that promote a constant supply of long-term finance, long-term fixed investments, and extension of a government securities maturity structure so as to ensure sustainable short- and long-term public debt service expenditures. The study further recommends the strengthening of non-distortionary revenue mobilisation reforms to reduce market distortions and boost domestic investment.


2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 765-780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sena Kimm Gnangnon

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the empirical literature of the macroeconomic effect of trade facilitation reforms by examining the impact of the latter on tax revenue in both developed and developing countries. The relevance of the topic lies on the fact that at the Bali Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2013, Trade Ministers agreed for the first time since the creation of the WTO (in 1995) on an Agreement to facilitate trade around the world, dubbed Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). The study considers both at-the-border and behind-the border measures of Trade Facilitation. Design/methodology/approach To conduct this study, the authors rely on the literature related to the structural factors that explain tax revenue mobilization. The authors mainly use within fixed effects estimator. The analysis relies on 102 countries (of which 23 industrial countries) over the period 2004-2007 (based on data availability). A focus has also been made on African countries, within the sample of developing countries. Findings The empirical analysis suggests evidence of a positive and significant effect of trade facilitation reforms on non-resources tax revenue, irrespective of the sample of countries considered in the analysis. Research limitations/implications This finding should contribute to dampening the fear of policymakers in developing countries, including Africa that the implementation of the TFA would entail higher costs, without necessarily being associated with higher benefits. An avenue for future research would be to extend the period of the study when data would be available. Originality/value To the best of the authors knowledge, this study had not been performed in the literature of the determinants of tax revenue mobilization, although fact-based analysis was performed.


Author(s):  
Kaustubh Jain

The debate about developing countries having to choose between economic growth and biodiversity protection has been going on for a long time. This paper sought to add to existing literature written on that topic by exploring the relationship between economic growth and biodiversity loss. It argued that in the long term, developing countries need to protect biodiversity as a prerequisite for economic growth to occur and that the severe impact of biodiversity loss on vulnerable indigenous communities is a reason enough to make the protection of biodiversity a priority. The researcher first identified the primary reasons for why biodiversity occurs, then advocated for the prevention of biodiversity by exploring two impacts of biodiversity loss: the impact on indigenous communities and the impact on economic growth. The paper then briefly also explained the policies that both governments, as well as nongovernment actors, can implement in order to tackle biodiversity loss and protect our environment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 479-507
Author(s):  
Surya Nepal ◽  
Sae Woon Park ◽  
Sunhae Lee

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to empirically assess the impact of remittances on the economic performance of the 16 Asian developing countries, taking account of their institutional qualities.Design/methodology/approachA panel of 16 Asian developing countries (Central Asia, South Asia, and ASEAN) over the period of 2002–2016 is employed in the analysis. To assess the impact of remittances on economic performance in consideration of institutional quality, OLS estimates as well as GMM are used.FindingsThe effect of remittances on economic growth is statistically significant. In addition, they also impact economic growth when they interact with institutional or financial development variables. For the long-run growth process of Central Asian, South Asian, and ASEAN countries, a sound and smooth institutional framework appears to be indispensable. Also, it was found that more fragile economies tend to achieve bigger growth than less fragile economies, as this kind of growth is triggered by more remittances flowing into fragile economies. However, the impact of remittances on growth does not depend on the level of ICT. FDI and financial development have positive impact on growth.Research limitations/implicationsThere are limitations to this research as well. Due to the unavailability of data, several countries had to be removed from this study. The cost of sending money might be an important variable for this study. However, the data on this variable from reliable sources are almost impossible to gather. Therefore, this variable is also not included in this research. The savings from remittances when intermediated through formal financial channels will, in fact, produce a positive allocation and distribution of resources that may eventually become an important source of growth. However, one precondition for larger and greater growth is that remittances need to be well and properly utilized by the financial sector. Therefore, quality institutions should be formed first, which can facilitate investment activities and make the flow of remittances more convenient.Originality/valueThis paper exclusively considers the case of Asian developing countries (Central Asia, South Asia, and ASEAN) to assess the impact of remittances on the economic performance of these countries, with special consideration of the interaction effects of remittances and institutional quality in these emerging Asian economies. The previous studies on the effect of remittances on growth do not conform to one concrete conclusion. This study is undertaken in a bid to get the best possible result on the impact of remittances on the growth of the selected countries, majority of which attract substantial chunk of remittances into their economies.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Imad Jabbouri ◽  
Omar Farooq

PurposeThis paper aims to document the impact of inadequately educated workforce on the extent of financing obstacles experienced by firms.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use the data provided by the World Bank's Enterprise Surveys to test our arguments. The data were collected during the period between 2008 and 2018 in 141 developing countries. A pooled ordered logit regression analysis is performed to arrive at the results.FindingsThe study’s results show that firms with inadequately educated workforce are more likely to experience financing obstacles than other firms. The authors argue that poor performance and lack of technical expertise required to access finance are some of the reasons behind greater financing obstacles experienced by these firms. The study’s results are robust across different geographic regions. The authors also show that firms with inadequately educated workforce are more likely to seek informal credit for financing their short-term (working capital) and long-term (capital expenditures) capital requirements.Practical implicationsUnderstanding the factors that affect the financing constraints faced by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) should be valuable to managers of SMEs and policy-makers. By removing these constraints, managers can improve their access to financing, and policy-makers can facilitate higher economic growth and better economic conditions.Originality/valuePrior studies have largely been silent on the impact of inadequately educated workforce on the access to finance. This paper draws attention to this issue within the context of SMEs in an international setting. SMEs are the drivers of economic growth in any country. However, their contributions to economic growth cannot materialize without fulfilling their capital needs.


Author(s):  
Chris Brewster ◽  
Paul N. Gooderham ◽  
Wolfgang Mayrhofer

Purpose – The dominant focus of HRM research has been that of “strategic HRM”, that is a focus on the impact of HRM on firm performance. The authors argue that not only are the cumulative results of this “dominant research orthodoxy” disappointing in terms of their external validity, but also they are of limited practical value. Further, it has failed not only in terms of its narrow firm performance-oriented agenda, but also the tenets of its agenda have contributed to serious levels of employee dissatisfaction and to the failure to deal with pressing global issues. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – In order to assess the contribution of the dominant research orthodoxy the authors analyse the 16 most cited journal articles in the field of HRM. Findings – The authors find a predominance of US-centric studies and therefore a questionable cross-national generalizability of the dominant research orthodoxy. The use of cross-sectional data means that long-term effects cannot be gauged. The authors observe a lack of consensus on how to operationalize HRM and firm performance. National context is generally absent. Practical implications – The authors show that for HRM to realize its potential for governments, media, or philanthropic agencies, HRM must abandon its restricted scope and mono-dimensional sources of inspiration. Originality/value – The authors not only point to the shortcomings of the dominant research orthodoxy within HRM, but the authors point to how HRM could become significantly more “centre-staged” by addressing the actors searching for contributions to the big questions of the world – the governments, media, and philanthropic agencies.


2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 642-658 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Irfan Javaid Attari ◽  
Matloub Hussain ◽  
Attiya Y. Javid

Purpose This paper is a direct extension of the work by Hussain et al. (2012). They have investigated a long-term relationship between climatic change and economic growth in case of Pakistan. Agricultural sector plays an important role in economic field, whereas industrial sector is the main source of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission. Therefore, this study aims to replace economic growth variable with industrial growth in case of Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach Investigation is made on the basis of the environmental Kuznets curve by using the time series data during the period 1971-2009. The per capital carbon dioxide (CO2) emission is used as an environmental indicator and per capita industrial income as the economic indicator. Different econometric tools including augmented Dickey–Fuller, autoregressive distributed lag and Granger-causality test are used to verify this relationship. Findings The empirical findings will help the policy-makers of Pakistan in developing new standards and monitoring networks for reducing CO2 emission. It is essential to extend the current research work at provincial and different sectors levels in order to have clear understanding about the impact of current emission rate. Originality/value This study replaces economic growth variable with industrial growth in case of Pakistan because the industrial sector is the main source of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission. This study is to investigate a long-term relationship between climatic change and industrial growth in case of Pakistan.


The purpose of this research is to examine the impact of reforms that took place in Indian economy in 1991. Balance of payment difficulty resulted in acute economic crisis and therefore economic reforms were inevitable. Post this incident; there have been three more phases of economic reforms. Economic reforms were compelled due to international pressure of the situation post balance of payment crisis of 1991. The significance of this study lies in the derivation of various ways in which these reforms played a major role in the transformation of Indian economy in the form of its impact on poverty, education, socio-cultural mixture, economic growth etc. We have tried to revisit situation of payments crisis and tried to understand if these reforms were enough and were they concrete measures to tackle long-term problem or if they were only sufficient to handle the crisis. Finally we have tried to find out, as to what was left out of reforms or what other measures could have been taken. Balance of payment difficulties are difficulties faced by most of the underdeveloped or developing countries


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lord Mensah ◽  
Divine Allotey ◽  
Emmanuel Sarpong-Kumankoma ◽  
William Coffie

Purpose This paper aims to test whether a debt threshold of public debt has any effect on economic growth in Africa. Design/methodology/approach The authors applied the panel autoregressive distributed models on 38 African countries with annual data from 1970 to 2015. It was established that the threshold and the trajectory of debt has an impact on economic growth. Findings Specifically, the authors found that public debt hampers economic growth when the depth is in the region of 20 to 80 per cent of GDP. Based on debt trajectory, this study established that increasing public debt beyond 50 to 80 per cent of GDP adversely affects economic growth in Africa. The study also finds that the persistent rise in debt also has adverse effect on economic growth in the African countries in the sample. It must be known to policymakers that the threshold of debt in developing countries, and for that matter African countries, are less than that of developed countries. Practical implications This study suggests threshold effects between 20 and 50 per cent; this should be a guide for policymakers in the accumulation of debt stock. Interestingly, the findings suggest some debt trajectory effect, which policymakers might consider by increasing efforts to reduce debt levels when they fall between 50 to 80 per cent of GDP. This implies that reducing such debt levels can help African countries increase their economic growth. Originality/value The study is unique because it seeks to add new evidence on the relationship between public debt and growth in the African region, by considering the impact of the persistent growth of public debt on economic growth.


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