Implications of Non –productive and Productive Government Expenditure on Output and Employment: Evidence From Nigeria

Nigerian government expenditure has been on an increasing trend over the years, and its contribution to sustainable economic development; promoting long-term output and employment has generated controversial issues in the literature. Against this background, this study analyses the impact of both productive and non-productive government expenditure on output and employment in Nigeria using the Vector Error Correction Model, The long-run equations for output and employment are established. The joint short and long-run causality was also investigated. The study shows a contrary result to theoretical predictions; Nigeria's long-run growth is not promoting by productive government expenditure. Furthermore, there is joint short and long-run causality between employment and government expenditure channels. Evidence from the output equation indicates no joint long and short-run causality. The implication of this result shows that government expenditure either productive or non-productive, has not improved the economy, although there is an increase in employment generation through the non-productive channel, which has not promoted broad-based growth. For the Nigerian government to improve the situation, the study recommends a critical assessment of public expenditure through the cost-benefit approach.

Macroeconomic (in)stability and endogenous market structure with productive government expenditure

We consider the congestion effect of productive government spending in a monopolistic competition model with endogenous entry, and analyze the possibility of local indeterminacy. Some main findings emerge from the analysis. First, the indeterminacy condition is independent of the monopoly power. Second, productive government expenditure can be a source of local indeterminacy, while a higher degree of public goods congestion lessens the beneficial effect of productive government expenditure, and therefore reduces the possibility of indeterminacy. Third, a higher degree of internal returns to scale is associated with a lower possibility for the emergence of indeterminacy when production externalities are present.

Productive Government Expenditure and Economic Performance in sub-Saharan Africa: An Empirical Investigation

This study examined the effect of government expenditure on its disaggregated level on economic growth in a sample of 20 sub-Saharan African Countries over the period of 1980-2010 in a dynamic panel data model. The result from Generalised Method of Moments (GMM) revealed an inverse relationship between productive government expenditure and economic growth in sub-Sahara Africa. Also, productive government expenditures were not actually productive most especially when financed by non-distortonary government tax revenue in sub-Saharan African countries. The study concluded that the productive government expenditure and its corresponding source of the mode of financing were counterproductive for economic performance in the African countries.

A GROWTH MODEL FOR THE QUADRUPLE HELIX

We develop a R&D-based growth model with productive public expenditure in order to frame the Quadruple Helix (QH) innovation concept, based on four helices: Academia & Technological Infrastructures, Firms, Government and Civil Society. Our motivation stems from acknowledgment that the relationship between these four helices and their joint impact on growth is in need of a theoretical framework. We aim to emphasise the importance to economic growth of innovation systems structured on these four helices. The introduced model confirms theoretically the notion that increases in: (i) complementarities between distinct productive units, or (ii) in productive government expenditure, lead to higher growth.