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Public spending and growth: the role of institutions

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This paper examines the role of institutions in the nexus between public spending and economic growth. Using a newly assembled dataset of 80 countries over the 1970-2010 period with disaggregated public spending, we show that only when institutions prompt governments to be accountable to the general public, does the capital component of public spending significantly promote growth, especially when financed by a fall in current spending or by increased revenues. Meanwhile, a rise in current spending does not show robust growth-promoting potential, regardless of the level of government accountability. Our interpretation of these findings is that, while capital spending innately has a larger growth-fostering effect than current spending, inefficiencies inherent in the former type of spending, caused by officeholders’ rent-seeking behavior under unaccountable governments, mitigate its fostering effect.

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  • Atsuyoshi Morozumi & Francisco José Veiga, 2014. "Public spending and growth: the role of institutions," NIPE Working Papers 11/2014, NIPE - Universidade do Minho.
    • Handle: RePEc:nip:nipewp:11/2014
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    Cited by:

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    2. Buklemishev, O., 2016. "Overcoming Investment Pause in the Russian Economy," Journal of the New Economic Association, New Economic Association, vol. 29(1), pages 160-167.
    3. Kudrin, Alexey & Gurvich, Evsej T., 2015. "A new growth model for the Russian economy," BOFIT Policy Briefs 1/2015, Bank of Finland Institute for Emerging Economies (BOFIT).
    4. Kudrin, Alexey & Gurvich, Evsey, 2015. "A new growth model for the Russian economy1," Russian Journal of Economics, Elsevier, vol. 1(1), pages 30-54.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • O43 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Institutions and Growth
    • H50 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - General

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