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The Implications of Openness for WAGNER’S Law. An International Comparison of 20 Countries, 1971-2000

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  • Sobhee, S. K.

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  • Joysuree, V.
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    Abstract

    This paper revitalizes the Wagner’s law by integrating to its literature the increasingly essential role played by openness. It has been recently hypothesized that the growing size of the public sector in both developed and developing economies could be explained by the increasing degree of openness. We therefore believe that if this is so, then by simply testing the conventional wisdom whether public expenditure grows as output grows (the Wagner’s Law), and isolating the entire process of openness, may clearly lead to specification bias. Consequently, to improve on the robustness of econometric findings pertaining to this law, it is but necessary to control for openness. Thus, in this paper, we test the validity of the law, after controlling for openness, through a panel of 20 mixed economies over 30 years. Using alternative econometric scenarios, we conclude that Wagner’s law is not a myth and its validity is robustly supported as and when economies transit to become more open.

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    Bibliographic Info

    Article provided by Euro-American Association of Economic Development in its journal Applied Econometrics and International Development.

    Volume (Year): 4 (2004)
    Issue (Month): 3 ()
    Pages:

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    Handle: RePEc:eaa:aeinde:v:4:y:2004:i:1_19

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    1. Murthy, N R Vasudeva, 1996. "More Evidence on Wagner's Law for Mexico: A Reply," Public Finance = Finances publiques, , vol. 51(1), pages 132-39.
    2. Hayo, Bernd, 1994. "No Further Evidence of Wagner's Law for Mexico," Public Finance = Finances publiques, , vol. 49(2), pages 287-94.
    3. Hausman, Jerry A. & Taylor, William E., 1981. "Panel data and unobservable individual effects," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 16(1), pages 155-155, May.
    4. Hausman, Jerry A & Taylor, William E, 1981. "Panel Data and Unobservable Individual Effects," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 49(6), pages 1377-98, November.
    5. Dani Rodrik, 1998. "Why Do More Open Economies Have Bigger Governments?," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 106(5), pages 997-1032, October.
    6. Ashworth, John, 1994. "Spurious in Mexico: A Comment on Wagner's Law," Public Finance = Finances publiques, , vol. 49(2), pages 282-86.
    7. Park, Wan Kyu, 1996. "Wagner's Law vs. Keynesian Paradigm: The Korean Experience," Public Finance = Finances publiques, , vol. 51(1), pages 71-91.
    8. Lin, Chi-Ang, 1995. "More Evidence on Wagner's Law for Mexico," Public Finance = Finances publiques, , vol. 50(2), pages 267-77.
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