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Why Does GDP Move Before G? It's all in the Measurement

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  • Edoardo Briganti
  • Victor Sellemi

Abstract

We find that the early impact of defense news shocks on GDP is mainly due to a rise in business inventories, as contractors ramp up production for new defense contracts. These contracts do not affect government spending (G) until payment-on-delivery, which occurs 2-3 quarters later. Novel data on defense procurement obligations reveals that contract awards Granger-cause VAR-identified shocks to G, but not defense news shocks. This implies that the early GDP response relative to G is largely driven by the delayed accounting of defense contracts, while VAR-identified shocks to G miss the impact on inventories, resulting in lower multiplier estimates.

Suggested Citation

  • Edoardo Briganti & Victor Sellemi, 2022. "Why Does GDP Move Before G? It's all in the Measurement," Papers 2212.06073, arXiv.org, revised May 2023.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2212.06073
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