External factors will shape Uganda's near-term growth

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
International Markets ◽  
Infrastructure Investment ◽  
Public Infrastructure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Banking Regulations ◽  
2016 Election ◽  
Near Term ◽  
The Government ◽  
Will Force ◽  
Economic Outlook

Subject Ugandan economic outlook. Significance Despite having overcome the 2016 election with relatively little economic turbulence, Uganda's growth has since failed to accelerate despite monetary easing. The economy is still vulnerable to external economic shocks. The government is investing in public infrastructure to reduce this weakness in the longer-term. Impacts Selecting, sequencing and implementing choices of large projects will determine the success of public infrastructure investment. Insufficient increases in tax collection will force the government to borrow more from domestic and international markets. Kenya's experience with a new interest rate cap law could influence Uganda's banking regulations.

Uruguay's economy will avoid recession, narrowly

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Near Term ◽  
The Government ◽  
Foreign Ministers ◽  
Cellulose Plant ◽  
Economic Outlook

Subject The near-term economic outlook. Significance The statist model preferred by the governing Frente Amplio (FA) coalition clashes with the plan designed by President Tabare Vazquez and his economy and foreign ministers, Danilo Astori and Rodolfo Nin Novoa respectively, to try to attract greater inward investment. This adds to intra-coalition tensions after the defection of a centre-left legislator caused the government to lose its congressional majority. Impacts The fear of losing support may help to concentrate FA minds on smoothing over party splits. A new cellulose plant would boost economic growth but not diversification. The economy will avoid recession, but growth will not pick up strongly in the near term.

Infrastructure will not boost near-term Brazil growth

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Infrastructure Investment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Near Term ◽  
Infrastructure Investments ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Poor Infrastructure

Subject Shortcomings in Brazilian infrastructure. Significance The quality of Brazil’s infrastructure is a key business complaint. Infrastructure is viewed as central to boosting the country’s long-term competitiveness, as well as a potential motor of recovery from the economic crisis. However, infrastructure investment remains low. This is due in part to the budgetary restrictions faced by the government, but also to the impact of corruption scandals on leading construction companies. Impacts Better roads, railways and ports will be central to boosting Brazil's exports, notably of primary commodities. Poor infrastructure will continue to affect both business and the daily life of ordinary citizens, particularly in remote regions. The execution of infrastructure investments could produce positive and long-lasting effects on the overall economy.

IMF deal offers mixed Ghana economic outlook

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Commodity Price ◽  
Fiscal Deficit ◽  
Structural Constraints ◽  
Fiscal Consolidation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Pressures ◽  
2016 Election ◽  
The Government ◽  
Economic Outlook ◽  
The Imf

Subject Ghana economic outlook. Significance The government has presented a revised 2015 budget that lowers the growth target from 3.9% to 3.5%. The fiscal deficit target has been widened from 6.5% of GDP to 7.3%. The downward revisions underline the economy's structural constraints, which the IMF financial bailout deal will not overcome. Despite a promising start on fiscal consolidation, the economy continues to be plagued by the effects of commodity price dependence. Impacts The recent reduction in fuel and utility subsidies has been made easier given lower oil and product prices. However, social pressures will build around the 2016 election, potentially spurring policy reversals. Negotiations moderating spending in next year's budget will be tougher, especially on wages.

Costa Rica tax triumph will drive Alvarado’s ambition

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
International Institutions ◽  
Tax Reform ◽  
Infrastructure Investment ◽  
Fiscal Deficit ◽  
Fiscal Consolidation ◽  
Public Infrastructure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Investment Plan ◽  
Fiscal Reforms ◽  
The Government

Subject Tax reform. Significance President Carlos Alvarado's controversial and long-awaited tax reform passed on December 3. The new measures should help to improve Costa Rica’s fiscal situation, particularly curbing the widening fiscal deficit, and will be welcomed by investors and international institutions. Impacts With the reforms now looking certain, protest fatigue will set in, and union demonstrations will die down. The legislature is likely to rally behind Alvarado’s next initiative -- a public infrastructure investment plan. The government may try to pass supplementary fiscal reforms in 2019 to support fiscal consolidation.

scholarly journals Government public infrastructure investment and economic performance in Spain (1980-2016)

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Perez-Montiel ◽  
Carles Manera
Keyword(s):  
Public Investment ◽  
Infrastructure Investment ◽  
Annual Data ◽  
Public Infrastructure ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Autonomous Communities ◽  
Vector Autoregressive ◽  
Acyclic Graphs ◽  
Multiplier Effects

Purpose The authors estimate the multiplier effect of government public infrastructure investment in Spain. This paper aims to use annual data of the 17 Spanish autonomous communities for the 1980–2016 period. Design/methodology/approach The authors use dynamic acyclic graphs and the heterogeneous panel structural vector autoregressive (P-SVAR) method of Pedroni (2013). This method is robust to cross-sectional heterogeneity and dependence, which are present in the data. Findings The findings suggest that an increase in the level of government public infrastructure investment generates a positive and persistent effect on the level of output. Five years after the fiscal expansion, the multiplier effects of government public infrastructure investment reach values above one. This confirms that government public infrastructure investment expansions have Keynesian effects. The authors also find that the multiplier effects differ between autonomous communities with above-average and below-average GDP per capita. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no research uses dynamic acyclic graphs and heterogeneous P-SVAR techniques to estimate fiscal multipliers of government public investment in Spain by using subnational data.

Dominican Republic tourism begins fragile recovery

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Dominican Republic ◽  
Economic Recovery ◽  
Infrastructure Investment ◽  
Health Minister ◽  
Slow Recovery ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Government ◽  
Investment Programme

Significance Accounting directly and indirectly for 16-17% of GDP in 2019, tourism is a major plank of the Dominican economy and will be key to broader economic recovery in 2021. With that in mind, the government is striving to encourage visitors back as soon as possible. Impacts Cruises are less important to the Dominican Republic than some smaller islands, but the slow recovery of that sector will be a blow. The president plans to launch an infrastructure investment programme later this year to help boost employment. The dismissal of Health Minister Plutarco Arias over alleged procurement irregularities may undermine government anti-corruption pledges.

Does public investment crowd-out private investment in India

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanmugam Muthu
Keyword(s):  
Public Investment ◽  
Private Investment ◽  
Infrastructure Investment ◽  
Public Infrastructure ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Macroeconomic Uncertainty ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Short Run

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the crowding-in or crowding-out relationship between public and private investment in India. Design/methodology/approach The autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach is used to estimate the long run relationship between public and private investment using annual data from 1971-1972 to 2009-2010. Findings Based on the empirical findings, it is observed that aggregate public investment has a positive effect on private investment both in the long run and the short run. In contrast to the findings of previous studies, no significant impact of public infrastructure investment on private investments is found in the long run, while non-infrastructure investment has a positive impact on private investment in the short run. Among the various categories of infrastructure sector, a positive and significant impact in the case of electricity, gas and water supply is observed. Similarly, the result indicates that public investment in machinery and equipment and construction have substantially influenced the private sector machinery and equipment in the long run and the short run. In the case of the role of macroeconomic uncertainty, the results find a negative and significant impact on private investment and the impact is higher in the short run than in the long run. Originality/value The present study extends the literature in three important ways: First, the study attempts to capture heterogeneity of public investment as well as disaggregate effects of two different categories of public infrastructure on private investment. The extent to which two different types of public assets impact the private investment in machinery and equipment investment is also examined. Second, ARDL model is used to examine the long-run relationship between public and private investment. Third, the study incorporates macroeconomic uncertainty into the empirical analysis to examine the role of macroeconomic volatility in determining private investment decision.

Public infrastructure investment and fiscal sustainability in Latin America: incompatible goals?

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Carranza ◽  
Christian Daude ◽  
Angel Melguizo
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Latin America ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Public Investment ◽  
Fiscal Rules ◽  
Infrastructure Investment ◽  
Fiscal Consolidation ◽  
Public Infrastructure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fiscal Space

Purpose – This paper aims to understand the relationship in developing countries between fiscal consolidation and public investment – a flexible part of the budget that is easier to cut during consolidation effort, but with potentially negative growth effects. Analyzing in detail the case of Peru, the paper explores alternative fiscal rules and frameworks that might help create fiscal space for infrastructure investment. Design/methodology/approach – The paper analyses trends in public and total infrastructure investment in six large Latin American economies, in the light of fiscal developments since the early 1980s. In particular, the paper explores the association between fiscal consolidations (improvements in the structural fiscal balance) and public infrastructure investment rates. In the second part, the paper analyzes recent changes in the fiscal framework of Peru and shows how they were conductive in creating additional fiscal space. Findings – The authors argue that post-crisis fiscal frameworks, notably fiscal rules that are increasingly popular in the region, should not only consolidate the recent progress towards debt sustainability, but also create the fiscal space to close these infrastructure gaps. These points are illustrated in a detailed account of recent developments in the fiscal framework and public investment in the Peruvian case. Originality/value – The paper contributes new evidence to the literature on fiscal consolidation and the composition of government expenditures. While the literature based on evidence from the 1990s has argued that fiscal consolidation plans in Latin America have almost always led to a significant reduction in public infrastructure investment, the paper finds less clear cut evidence when extending the analysis backwards (1980s) and forwards (2000s). The example of the case of Peru is used to explore fiscal institutions and rules that might be useful for other developing countries that face important infrastructure gaps.

Saudi subsidy reforms unlikely to spark major protests

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Oil ◽  
Basic Part ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Political Impact ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Government ◽  
Crown Prince ◽  
Economic Outlook

Subject Political impact of subsidy reform. Significance Saudi Arabia introduced its first major cut to energy subsidies in January, leading to a rise in petrol, diesel, fuel oil, natural gas and electricity prices. Further cuts will be necessary to avert a fiscal crisis -- but with cheap energy seen as a basic part of the social contract between the government and the population, such measures are expected to have wide-reaching political repercussions. Impacts A decision to reverse subsidy cuts in the face of protest would undercut government credibility and reduce the prospect of further reforms. Yet persisting with subsidy reforms could damage government legitimacy and political capital among the youth and lower classes. Successful reforms will improve the long-term economic outlook, and the succession prospects of Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Recovery will not reverse poverty woes in Argentina

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Income Distribution ◽  
Social Indicators ◽  
Spillover Effects ◽  
Social Spending ◽  
Economic Downturn ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Government ◽  
Will Force ◽  
Structural Poverty

Significance In 2016, the economic downturn boosted unemployment, especially in the manufacturing and construction industries, while inflation undermined real incomes, hitting the poorest households the hardest. The government extended social aid, but this was not enough to prevent a worsening of income distribution and a rise of poverty. Impacts Strike and protest threats are mounting and will force the government to boost social spending to avoid a crisis. Spillover effects from any recovery may improve social indicators but will not overcome high levels of structural poverty. The government is over-optimistic about the extent of recovery in advance of the October elections.

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