scholarly journals Government Expenditure and Economic Growth in South Africa: A Vector Error Correction Modelling and Granger Causality Test

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (4(J)) ◽  
pp. 164-172
Author(s):  
Kagiso Molefe ◽  
Ireen Choga

Previous studies generally find mixed empirical evidence on the relationship between government spending and economic growth. This study re-examine the relationship between government expenditure and economic growth in South Africa for the period of 1990 to 2015 using the Vector Error Correction Model and Granger Causality techniques. The time series data included in the model were gross domestic Product (GDP), government expenditure, national savings, government debt and consumer price index or inflation. Results obtained from the analysis showed a negative long-run relationship between government expenditure and economic growth in South Africa. Furthermore, the estimate of the speed of adjustment coefficient found in this study has revealed that 49 per cent of the variation in GDP from its equilibrium level is corrected within of a year. Furthermore, the study discovered that the causality relationship run from economic growth to government expenditure. This implied that the Wagner’s law is applicable to South Africa since government expenditure is an effect rather than a cause of economic growth. The results presented in this study are similar to those in the literature and are also sustained by preceding studies.

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 164
Author(s):  
Kagiso Molefe ◽  
Ireen Choga

Previous studies generally find mixed empirical evidence on the relationship between government spending and economic growth. This study re-examine the relationship between government expenditure and economic growth in South Africa for the period of 1990 to 2015 using the Vector Error Correction Model and Granger Causality techniques. The time series data included in the model were gross domestic Product (GDP), government expenditure, national savings, government debt and consumer price index or inflation. Results obtained from the analysis showed a negative long-run relationship between government expenditure and economic growth in South Africa. Furthermore, the estimate of the speed of adjustment coefficient found in this study has revealed that 49 per cent of the variation in GDP from its equilibrium level is corrected within of a year. Furthermore, the study discovered that the causality relationship run from economic growth to government expenditure. This implied that the Wagner’s law is applicable to South Africa since government expenditure is an effect rather than a cause of economic growth. The results presented in this study are similar to those in the literature and are also sustained by preceding studies.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2(J)) ◽  
pp. 215-223
Author(s):  
Kagiso Molefe ◽  
Andrew Maredza

The primary motivation behind this study was to explore the consequential effects of budget deficit on South Africa`s economic growth. Six variables were used, namely: real GDP, budget deficit, real interest rate, labour, gross fixed capital formation and unemployment. The Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) was used to estimate the long-run equation and also measure the correction from disequilibrium of preceding periods. Using annual time series data spanning the period 1985 to 2015, empirical evidence from the study revealed that budget deficits and economic growth are inversely related. It was therefore concluded that high levels of budget deficit in South Africa have detrimental effects on the growth of the economy. The estimate of the speed of adjustment coefficient found in this study revealed that about 29 per cent of the variation in GDP from its equilibrium level is corrected within one year. The results obtained in this study are favourably similar to those in the literature and are also sustained by previous studies.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 215
Author(s):  
Kagiso Molefe ◽  
Andrew Maredza

The primary motivation behind this study was to explore the consequential effects of budget deficit on South Africa`s economic growth. Six variables were used, namely: real GDP, budget deficit, real interest rate, labour, gross fixed capital formation and unemployment. The Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) was used to estimate the long-run equation and also measure the correction from disequilibrium of preceding periods. Using annual time series data spanning the period 1985 to 2015, empirical evidence from the study revealed that budget deficits and economic growth are inversely related. It was therefore concluded that high levels of budget deficit in South Africa have detrimental effects on the growth of the economy. The estimate of the speed of adjustment coefficient found in this study revealed that about 29 per cent of the variation in GDP from its equilibrium level is corrected within one year. The results obtained in this study are favourably similar to those in the literature and are also sustained by previous studies.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatema Alaali

The drop of oil prices since the second half of 2014 have affected the credit risk and liquidity situation in Bahrain. Therefore, Bahrain have implemented substantial economic diversification in the economic structure including manufacturing, refining, tourism, trade and finance. With the recognition of the importance of governments expenditure restructuring, Bahrain government introduced number of initiatives such as streamlining government expenditure, increasing revenues, and redirecting government subsidies towards eligible citizens. Understanding the relationship between revenues, government spending and economic growth is an essential perception in evaluating the efficiency of government’s strategy in managing its resources and the impact on the standard of living in any country. This chapter examines the relationship between total government expenditure as well as sectoral government spending (specifically education and health sectors), oil revenues and the economic growth of Bahrain using time series data over the period 1989–2015. To achieve this aim, the vector error correction model (VECM) is employed. In order to ensure the sustainability of resources and maintain economic growth, Bahrain should continue managing its expenditure, by cutting down expenses on certain sectors through privatization, and increasing spending on health and education sectors.


Author(s):  
Lien Phuong Hoang

This study analyzes the relationship between retail trade and economic growth in Ho Chi Minh City. The research employed Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) method for the time series data collected from the period 1995 – 2015. The result shows that retail sales enhances economic growth and changes in growth has a positive impact on retail trade in Ho Chí Minh City. That not only confirms Keynes's Keynesian Growth Theory, but also evaluates the importance of retail trade in the economy of Ho Chi Minh City.


Author(s):  
Ronald Rateiwa ◽  
Meshach J. Aziakpono

Background: In order for the post-2015 world development agenda – termed the sustainable development goals (SDGs) – to succeed, there is a pronounced need to ensure that available resources are used more effectively and additional financing is accessed from the private sector. Given that traditional bank lending has slowed down, the development of non-bank financing has become imperative. To this end, this article intends to empirically test the role of non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) in stimulating economic growth.Aim: The aim of this article is to empirically test the existence of a long-run equilibrium relationship between economic growth and the development of NBFIs, and the causality thereof.Setting: The empirical assessment uses time-series data from Africa’s three largest economies, namely, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa, over the period 1971–2013.Methods: This article uses the Johansen cointegration and vector error correction model within a country-specific setting.Results: The results showed that the long-run relationship between NBFI development and economic growth is relatively stronger in Egypt and South Africa, than in Nigeria. Evidence in respect of Nigeria shows that such a relationship is weak. The nature of the relationship between NBFI development and economic growth in Egypt is positive and significant, and predominantly bidirectional. This suggests that a virtuous relationship between NBFIs and economic growth exists in Egypt. In South Africa, the relationship is positive and significant and predominantly runs from NBFI development to economic growth, implying a supply-leading phenomenon. In Nigeria, the results are weak and mixed.Conclusion: The study concludes that in countries with more developed financial systems, the role of NBFIs and their importance to the economic growth process are more pronounced. Thus, there is need for developing policies targeted at developing the NBFI sector, given their potential to contribute to economic growth.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3(J)) ◽  
pp. 152-162
Author(s):  
Kunofiwa Tsaurai

This paper seeks to investigate the relationship between savings and financial development in Zimbabwe using both autoregressive distributive lag (ARDL) and vector error correction model (VECM) approaches for comparison purposes with monthly time series data from January 2009 to August 2015. Four distinct hypotheses emerged from the literature and these are the savings-led financial development, financial development-led savings, feedback effect and the insignificant/no relationship hypothesis. The existence of diverging and contradicting views in empirical literature on the subject matter is evidence that the linkage between savings and financial development is still far from being concluded. Both F-Bounds and Johansen co-integration tests observed that there is a long run relationship between savings and financial development in Zimbabwe. What is even more unique about this study is that both ARDL and VECM noted the presence of a bi-directional causality relationship between savings and financial development in the short and long run in Zimbabwe. The implication of this study is that in order to increase economic growth, Zimbabwe authorities should increase savings mobilization efforts in order to boost financial development, which in turn attracts more savings inflow into the formal financial system.


2012 ◽  
Vol 253-255 ◽  
pp. 278-281
Author(s):  
Xiao Zhe Meng

Transport infrastructure makes important contribution to economic growth. At the same time, the economic growth provides support to the transport infrastructure. Based on the co-integration theory and Granger casualty analysis, using time series data in Tianjin from 1978 to 2010, empirically analyze the co-integration relationship and Granger causality between the index of all kinds of transport infrastructure and the GDP in Tianjin. Research shows that there are positive correlations between the length of road, railway, quay line and GDP. The length of road, railway and quay line is the Granger cause of GDP. However, GDP is not the Granger cause of transport infrastructure.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document