IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/recsxx/v3y2000i1p71-91.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Economic Freedom and Economic Growth: A Short-Run Causal Investigation

Author

Listed:
  • Jac C. Heckelman

Abstract

The freedom and growth literature has consistently shown that nations which have fewer restrictions on private agents and transactions tend to higher levels of economic growth. It is less clear, however, whether freedom causes growth, growth causes freedom, or the two are jointly determined. To assess these possibilities, Granger-causality tests are performed on annual freedom indicators developed by the Heritage Foundation and national growth rates. The underlying component indexes, which include Trade Policy, Taxation, Government Intervention, Monetary Policy, Capital Flows and Foreign Investment, Banking, Wage and Price Controls, Property Rights, Regulation, and Black Markets, are also tested in addition to the summary freedom rating. The tests suggest the average level of freedom in a nation, as well as many of the specific underlying components of freedom, precedes growth. However, growth may precede one of the component indexes (Government Intervention), and no relationship is found to exist between growth and two of the indexes (Trade Policy and Taxation).

Suggested Citation

  • Jac C. Heckelman, 2000. "Economic Freedom and Economic Growth: A Short-Run Causal Investigation," Journal of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 3(1), pages 71-91, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:recsxx:v:3:y:2000:i:1:p:71-91
    DOI: 10.1080/15140326.2000.12040546
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/15140326.2000.12040546
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/15140326.2000.12040546?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
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version below or search for a different version of it.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. W. Kenn Farr & Richard A. Lord & J. Larry Wolfenbarger, 1998. "Economic Freedom, Political Freedom, and Economic Well-Being: A Causality Analysis," Cato Journal, Cato Journal, Cato Institute, vol. 18(2), pages 247-262, Fall.
    2. De Vanssay, Xavier & Spindler, Z A, 1994. "Freedom and Growth: Do Constitutions Matter?," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 78(3-4), pages 359-372, March.
    3. Heckelman, Jac C & Stroup, Michael D, 2000. "Which Economic Freedoms Contribute to Growth?," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(4), pages 527-544.
    4. Dawson, John W, 1998. "Institutions, Investment, and Growth: New Cross-Country and Panel Data Evidence," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 36(4), pages 603-619, October.
    5. Joshua Hall & Robert Lawson, 2009. "Economic Freedom and Peace," Atlantic Economic Journal, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 37(4), pages 445-446, December.
    6. de Haan, Jakob & Siermann, Clemens L J, 1998. "Further Evidence on the Relationship between Economic Freedom and Economic Growth," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 95(3-4), pages 363-380, June.
    7. Scully, Gerald W & Slottje, Daniel J, 1991. "Ranking Economic Liberty across Countries," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 69(2), pages 121-152, February.
    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. de Haan, Jakob, 2003. "Economic freedom: editor's introduction," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 395-403, September.
    2. Jakob De Haan & Susanna Lundström & Jan‐Egbert Sturm, 2006. "Market‐oriented institutions and policies and economic growth: A critical survey," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(2), pages 157-191, April.
    3. Doucouliagos, Chris & Ulubasoglu, Mehmet Ali, 2006. "Economic freedom and economic growth: Does specification make a difference?," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 60-81, March.
    4. Boockmann, Bernhard & Dreher, Axel, 2003. "The contribution of the IMF and the World Bank to economic freedom," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 633-649, September.
    5. Hatice KÜÇÜKKAYA, 2017. "EUREFE’17 International Conference," Turkish Economic Review, KSP Journals, vol. 4(3), pages 343-344, September.
    6. Aslý YENÝPAZARLI, 2017. "Economic freedom and effects on economic growth: A time series analysis for Turkey," Turkish Economic Review, KSP Journals, vol. 4(3), pages 345-351, September.
    7. Judit Kapás & Pál Czeglédi, 2007. "Economic Freedom: Theory First, Empiricism After," ICER Working Papers 10-2007, ICER - International Centre for Economic Research.
    8. Knedlik, Tobias & Kronthaler, Franz, 2006. "Forced to Freedom? Empirical Relations between Aid and Economic Freedom," IWH Discussion Papers 8/2006, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
    9. Rachel L. Mathers & Claudia R. Williamson, 2011. "Cultural Context: Explaining the Productivity of Capitalism," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 64(2), pages 231-252, May.
    10. Richard J. Cebula & Franklin G. Mixon Jr., 2014. "The Roles of Economic Freedom and Regulatory Quality in Creating a Favorable Environment for Investment in Energy R&D, Infrastructure, and Capacity," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 73(2), pages 299-324, April.
    11. Olalekan Charles Okunlola & Anthony E. Akinlo, 2021. "Does economic freedom enhance quality of life in Africa?," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 68(3), pages 357-387, September.
    12. de Haan, Jakob & Sturm, Jan-Egbert, 2000. "On the relationship between economic freedom and economic growth," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 16(2), pages 215-241, June.
    13. Richard J. Cebula & J.R. Clark, 2011. "Migration, Economic Freedom, and Personal Freedom: An Empirical Analysis," Journal of Private Enterprise, The Association of Private Enterprise Education, vol. 27(Fall 2011), pages 43-62.
    14. Mikhail Ossama, 2005. "Economic Freedom and the Business Cycle: The Egyptian Experience," Review of Middle East Economics and Finance, De Gruyter, vol. 3(1), pages 1-19, April.
    15. repec:wvu:wpaper:06-08 is not listed on IDEAS
    16. repec:dgr:rugccs:199903 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Olalekan C. Okunlola & Olumide A. Ayetigbo, 2022. "Economic Freedom and Human Development in ECOWAS: Does Political-Institutional Strength Play a Role?," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 13(3), pages 1751-1785, September.
    18. John W. Dawson, 2007. "The Empirical Institutions-Growth Literature: Is Something Amiss at the Top?," Econ Journal Watch, Econ Journal Watch, vol. 4(2), pages 184-196, May.
    19. Kubickova Marketa, 2016. "The Role of Government in Tourism: Linking Competitiveness, Freedom, and Developing Economies," Czech Journal of Tourism, Sciendo, vol. 5(2), pages 73-92, December.
    20. Cebula, Richard J. & Clark, J.R. & Mixon, Franklin G., Jr., 2013. "The Impact of Economic Freedom on Per Capita Real GDP: A Study of OECD Nations," Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy, Mid-Continent Regional Science Association, vol. 43(1).
    21. Richard Cebula & Franklin Mixon, 2012. "The Impact of Fiscal and Other Economic Freedoms on Economic Growth: An Empirical Analysis," International Advances in Economic Research, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 18(2), pages 139-149, May.
    22. Tanin, Tauhidul Islam & Masih, Mansur, 2017. "Does economic freedom lead or lag economic growth? evidence from Bangladesh," MPRA Paper 79446, University Library of Munich, Germany.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D78 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Positive Analysis of Policy Formulation and Implementation
    • E3 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles

    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:taf:recsxx:v:3:y:2000:i:1:p:71-91. 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: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/recs .

    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.