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Public Education Expenditure, Growth and Welfare

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  • Konstantinos Angelopoulos
  • Jim Malley
  • Apostolis Philippopoulos

Abstract

In this paper we study the quantitative macroeconomic effects of public education spending in USA for the post-war period. Using comparable measures of human and physical capital, from Jorgenson and Fraumeni (1989, 1992a,b), we calibrate a standard dynamic general equilibrium model where human capital is the engine of long-run endogenous growth and government education spending is justified by externalities in human capital. Our base calibration, based on moderate sized human capital externalities, suggests that public spending on education is both growth and welfare promoting. However, given that public education spending crowds-out private consumption, the welfare maximising size of the government is less than the growth maximising one. Our results further suggest that welfare gains, as high as four percent of consumption, are obtainable if the composition of public spending can be altered in favour of education spending relative to the other components of total government spending.

Suggested Citation

  • Konstantinos Angelopoulos & Jim Malley & Apostolis Philippopoulos, 2007. "Public Education Expenditure, Growth and Welfare," CESifo Working Paper Series 2037, CESifo.
  • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_2037
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    Cited by:

    1. Konstantinos Angelopoulos & James Malley & Apostolis Philippopoulos, 2012. "Tax structure, growth, and welfare in the UK," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 64(2), pages 237-258, April.
    2. Annabi, Nabil & Harvey, Simon & Lan, Yu, 2011. "Public expenditures on education, human capital and growth in Canada: An OLG model analysis," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 852-865.
    3. Maisonnave, Hélène & Decaluwé, Bernard, 2008. "Educational Policy, Growth and Labor Market in South Africa: A Dynamic Computable General Equilibrium Analysis," Conference papers 331689, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    4. John Creedy & Solamz Moslehi, 2010. "The optimal composition of government expenditure among transfers, education and public goods," Hacienda Pública Española / Review of Public Economics, IEF, vol. 194(3), pages 41-64, June.
    5. repec:dau:papers:123456789/6913 is not listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H52 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Education
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • O40 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General

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