IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/idn/journl/v25y2022i2ep215-234.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Effects Of Rent Seeking Activities On Economic Growth In Middle-Income Countries

Author

Listed:
  • Zi Wen Vivien Wong

    (Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia)

  • Fanyu Chen

    (Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia)

  • Siong Hook Law

    (Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia)

  • Normaz Wana Ismail

    (Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia.)

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of rent seeking activities on economic growth in 53 middle-income countries. Our data span the period 2011 to 2020. We use the generalized method of moments estimator to examine the effects of rent-seeking activities on economic growth. Our study also includes several control variables, namely democratic accountability, public debt, human capital, foreign direct investment, capital stock, population, research and development expenditure and trade openness. The empirical results suggest that rent-seeking activities impede economic growth in middle-income ountries

Suggested Citation

  • Zi Wen Vivien Wong & Fanyu Chen & Siong Hook Law & Normaz Wana Ismail, 2022. "The Effects Of Rent Seeking Activities On Economic Growth In Middle-Income Countries," Bulletin of Monetary Economics and Banking, Bank Indonesia, vol. 25(2), pages 215-234, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:idn:journl:v:25:y:2022:i:2e:p:215-234
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.21098/bemp.v25i2.1863
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://bulletin.bmeb-bi.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1892&context=bmeb
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/https://doi.org/10.21098/bemp.v25i2.1863?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gründler, Klaus & Potrafke, Niklas, 2019. "Corruption and economic growth: New empirical evidence," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    2. Lambsdorff, Johann Graf, 2002. "Corruption and Rent-Seeking," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 113(1-2), pages 97-125, October.
    3. Mr. Sanjeev Gupta, 1998. "Does Corruption Affect Income Inequality and Poverty?," IMF Working Papers 1998/076, International Monetary Fund.
    4. Harold J. Brumm, 1999. "Rent Seeking and Economic Growth: Evidence from the States," Cato Journal, Cato Journal, Cato Institute, vol. 19(1), pages 7-16, Spring/Su.
    5. Huang, Chiung-Ju, 2016. "Is corruption bad for economic growth? Evidence from Asia-Pacific countries," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 247-256.
    6. Robert M. Solow, 1956. "A Contribution to the Theory of Economic Growth," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 70(1), pages 65-94.
    7. Borensztein, E. & De Gregorio, J. & Lee, J-W., 1998. "How does foreign direct investment affect economic growth?1," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 115-135, June.
    8. Jakob Svensson, 2005. "Eight Questions about Corruption," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 19(3), pages 19-42, Summer.
    9. Robert J. Barro, 1991. "Economic Growth in a Cross Section of Countries," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 106(2), pages 407-443.
    10. Glaeser, Edward L. & Saks, Raven E., 2006. "Corruption in America," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(6-7), pages 1053-1072, August.
    11. Sato, Motohiro, 2003. "Tax competition, rent-seeking and fiscal decentralization," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 19-40, February.
    12. Egunjobi T. Adenike, 2013. "An econometric analysis of the impact of Corruption on economic growth in Nigeria," E3 Journal of Business Management and Economics., E3 Journals, vol. 4(3), pages 054-065.
    13. Levine, Ross & Renelt, David, 1992. "A Sensitivity Analysis of Cross-Country Growth Regressions," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 82(4), pages 942-963, September.
    14. Pierre-Guillaume Méon & Khalid Sekkat, 2005. "Does corruption grease or sand the wheels of growth?," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 122(1), pages 69-97, January.
    15. Yaya Keho, 2017. "The impact of trade openness on economic growth: The case of Cote d’Ivoire," Cogent Economics & Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 5(1), pages 1332820-133, January.
    16. Kelley, Allen C, 1988. "Economic Consequences of Population Change in the Third World," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 26(4), pages 1685-1728, December.
    17. Spinesi, Luca, 2009. "Rent-seeking bureaucracies, inequality, and growth," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(2), pages 244-257, November.
    18. Park, Junghee, 2012. "Corruption, soundness of the banking sector, and economic growth: A cross-country study," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 907-929.
    19. Kamal Upadhyaya & Gyan Pradhan & Dharmendra Dhakal & Rabindra Bhandari, 2007. "Foreign Aid, FDI and Economic Growth in East European Countries," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 6(13), pages 1-9.
    20. Krueger, Anne O, 1974. "The Political Economy of the Rent-Seeking Society," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 64(3), pages 291-303, June.
    21. Biru Paksha Paul, 2010. "Does corruption foster growth in Bangladesh?," International Journal of Development Issues, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 9(3), pages 246-262, September.
    22. Del Monte, Alfredo & Papagni, Erasmo, 2001. "Public expenditure, corruption, and economic growth: the case of Italy," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 17(1), pages 1-16, March.
    23. Vito Tanzi, 1998. "Corruption Around the World: Causes, Consequences, Scope, and Cures," IMF Staff Papers, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 45(4), pages 559-594, December.
    24. Emrah İ. Çevik & Erdal Atukeren & Turhan Korkmaz, 2019. "Trade Openness and Economic Growth in Turkey: A Rolling Frequency Domain Analysis," Economies, MDPI, vol. 7(2), pages 1-16, May.
    25. Chen, Been-Lon, 2006. "Public capital, endogenous growth, and endogenous fluctuations," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 28(4), pages 768-774, December.
    26. Farooq, Abdul & Shahbaz, Muhammad & Arouri, Mohamed & Teulon, Frédéric, 2013. "Does corruption impede economic growth in Pakistan?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 622-633.
    27. Posner, Richard A, 1975. "The Social Costs of Monopoly and Regulation," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 83(4), pages 807-827, August.
    28. Ismail M.Cole & M. Arshad Chawdhry, 2002. "Rent Seeking and Economic Growth:Evidence from a Panel of U.S.States," Cato Journal, Cato Journal, Cato Institute, vol. 22(2), pages 211-228, Fall.
    29. Iqbal, Nasir & Daly, Vince, 2014. "Rent seeking opportunities and economic growth in transitional economies," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 16-22.
    30. Qaisar Abbas & James Foreman-Peck, 2008. "Human Capital and Economic Growth: Pakistan, 1960-2003," Lahore Journal of Economics, Department of Economics, The Lahore School of Economics, vol. 13(1), pages 1-27, Jan-Jun.
    31. Arellano, Manuel & Bover, Olympia, 1995. "Another look at the instrumental variable estimation of error-components models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 68(1), pages 29-51, July.
    32. Mr. Vito Tanzi, 1998. "Corruption Around the World: Causes, Consequences, Scope, and Cures," IMF Working Papers 1998/063, International Monetary Fund.
    33. Rabail Amna Intisar & Muhammad Rizwan Yaseen & Rakhshanda Kousar & Muhammad Usman & Muhammad Sohail Amjad Makhdum, 2020. "Impact of Trade Openness and Human Capital on Economic Growth: A Comparative Investigation of Asian Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-19, April.
    34. Lucas, Robert Jr., 1988. "On the mechanics of economic development," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 3-42, July.
    35. Kimenyi, Mwangi S & Mbaku, John M, 1993. "Rent-Seeking and Institutional Stability in Developing Countries," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 77(2), pages 385-405, October.
    36. Luiz R. de Mello Jr., 1997. "Foreign Direct Investment in Developing Countries: A Selective Survey," Studies in Economics 9701, School of Economics, University of Kent.
    37. Seema Narayan & Ngoc Minh Thi Bui, 2021. "Does Corruption in Exporter and Importer Country Influence International Trade?," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 57(11), pages 3202-3221, September.
    38. Blomqvist, Ake & Mohammad, Sharif, 1986. "Controls, corruption, and competitive rent-seeking in LDCs," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 161-180, April.
    39. Krisztina Kis-Katos & Günther G. Schulze, 2013. "Corruption in Southeast Asia: a survey of recent research," Asian-Pacific Economic Literature, The Crawford School, The Australian National University, vol. 27(1), pages 79-109, May.
    40. Baharumshah, Ahmad Zubaidi & Thanoon, Marwan Abdul-Malik, 2006. "Foreign capital flows and economic growth in East Asian countries," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 17(1), pages 70-83.
    41. Sevak Tsaturyan & Phillip J. Bryson, 2009. "Corruption and development: The Armenian case," International Journal of Economic Policy in Emerging Economies, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 2(4), pages 356-371.
    42. Thorvaldur Gylfason & Gylfi Zoega, 2003. "Education, Social Equality and Economic Growth: A View of the Landscape," CESifo Economic Studies, CESifo Group, vol. 49(4), pages 557-579.
    43. Francis T. Lui, 1996. "Three Aspects Of Corruption," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 14(3), pages 26-29, July.
    44. Murphy, Kevin M & Shleifer, Andrei & Vishny, Robert W, 1993. "Why Is Rent-Seeking So Costly to Growth?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 83(2), pages 409-414, May.
    45. Dougan, William R, 1991. "The Cost of Rent Seeking: Is GNP Negative?," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 99(3), pages 660-664, June.
    46. Luiz de Mello, 1997. "Foreign direct investment in developing countries and growth: A selective survey," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(1), pages 1-34.
    47. Ugur, Mehmet & Dasgupta, Nandini, 2011. "Corruption and economic growth: A meta-analysis of the evidence on low-income countries and beyond," MPRA Paper 31226, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 31 May 2011.
    48. Manuel Arellano & Stephen Bond, 1991. "Some Tests of Specification for Panel Data: Monte Carlo Evidence and an Application to Employment Equations," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 58(2), pages 277-297.
    49. Mr. Paolo Mauro & Mr. Enric Fernandez, 2000. "The Role of Human Capital in Economic Growth: The Case of Spain," IMF Working Papers 2000/008, International Monetary Fund.
    50. Paolo Mauro, 1995. "Corruption and Growth," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 110(3), pages 681-712.
    51. Victor Owusu-Nantwi & Christopher Erickson, 2016. "Public Debt and Economic Growth in Ghana," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 28(1), pages 116-126, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. E. Tsanana & X. Chapsa & C. Katrakilidis, 2016. "Is growth corrupted or bureaucratic? Panel evidence from the enlarged EU," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(33), pages 3131-3147, July.
    2. Iqbal, Nasir & Daly, Vince, 2014. "Rent seeking opportunities and economic growth in transitional economies," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 16-22.
    3. Gui-Diby, Steve Loris, 2014. "Impact of foreign direct investments on economic growth in Africa: Evidence from three decades of panel data analyses," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(3), pages 248-256.
    4. Toke S. Aidt, 2016. "Rent seeking and the economics of corruption," Constitutional Political Economy, Springer, vol. 27(2), pages 142-157, June.
    5. Siphiwo Bitterhout & Beatrice D. Simo-Kengne, 2020. "The effect of corruption on economic growth in the BRICS countries. A panel data analysis," Economic Development and Well-being Research Group Working Paper Series edwrg-03-2020, University of Johannesburg, College of Business and Economics, revised 2020.
    6. Andrew Hodge & Sriram Shankar & D. S. Prasada Rao & Alan Duhs, 2011. "Exploring the Links Between Corruption and Growth," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(3), pages 474-490, August.
    7. Maurizio Lisciandra & Emanuele Millemaci, 2017. "The economic effect of corruption in Italy: a regional panel analysis," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(9), pages 1387-1398, September.
    8. Andreas Assiotis & Kevin Sylwester, 2013. "Do the effects of corruption upon growth differ between democracies and autocracies?," University of Cyprus Working Papers in Economics 06-2013, University of Cyprus Department of Economics.
    9. Oguzhan C. Dincer & Burak Gunalp, 2012. "Corruption And Income Inequality In The United States," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 30(2), pages 283-292, April.
    10. Malanski, Leonardo Köppe & Póvoa, Angela Cristiane Santos, 2021. "Economic growth and corruption in emerging markets: Does economic freedom matter?," International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 58-70.
    11. Aribah Aslam, 2020. "The hotly debate of human capital and economic growth: why institutions may matter?," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 54(4), pages 1351-1362, August.
    12. Dokas, Ioannis & Panagiotidis, Minas & Papadamou, Stephanos & Spyromitros, Eleftherios, 2023. "Does innovation affect the impact of corruption on economic growth? International evidence," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 1030-1054.
    13. Choong, Chee-Keong & Baharumshah, Ahmad Zubaidi & Yusop, Zulkornain & Habibullah, Muzafar Shah, 2010. "Private capital flows, stock market and economic growth in developed and developing countries: A comparative analysis," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 22(2), pages 107-117, March.
    14. Charles Ackah, & Oliver Morrissey, 2007. "Trade Liberalisation is Good for You if You are Rich," Discussion Papers 07/01, University of Nottingham, CREDIT.
    15. Toke S. Aidt, 2009. "Corruption, institutions, and economic development," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 25(2), pages 271-291, Summer.
    16. Huang, Chiung-Ju, 2016. "Is corruption bad for economic growth? Evidence from Asia-Pacific countries," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 247-256.
    17. Siddiqui, Danish Ahmed & Ahmed, Qazi Masood, 2013. "The effect of institutions on economic growth: A global analysis based on GMM dynamic panel estimation," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 18-33.
    18. Saima Nawaz & M. Idrees Khawaja, 2016. "Fiscal Policy, Institutions And Growth: New Insights," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 64(05), pages 1251-1278, December.
    19. Saima Nawaz & Nasir Iqbal & Muhammad Arshad Khan, 2014. "The Impact of Institutional Quality on Economic Growth: Panel Evidence," The Pakistan Development Review, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, vol. 53(1), pages 15-31.
    20. Moradbeigi, Maryam & Law, Siong Hook, 2016. "Growth volatility and resource curse: Does financial development dampen the oil shocks?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 97-103.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Rent-seeking; Economic growth; System generalized method of moment estimator; Middle-income trap; Middle-income countries;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O43 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Institutions and Growth
    • H63 - Public Economics - - National Budget, Deficit, and Debt - - - Debt; Debt Management; Sovereign Debt
    • E02 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General - - - Institutions and the Macroeconomy

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:idn:journl:v:25:y:2022:i:2e:p:215-234. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Lutzardo Tobing or Jimmy Kathon (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/bigovid.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.