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The effects of public spending composition on firm productivity

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  • Kneller, Richard
  • Misch, Florian

Abstract

This paper exploits the unique institutional features of South Africa to estimate the impact of provincial public spending on health, education and transport on firm productivity. Our identification strategy is based on within industry-province differences between firms of the effects of public spending. We show that public spending composition affects firm productivity depending on the capital intensity of firms relative to the province-industry mean. Our data and empirical specification allow us to rule out that these results are affected by econometric problems that are commonly encountered when estimating the effects of fiscal policy and by unobserved industry- or province-specific productivity shocks. In contrast to related existing microeconomic evidence, we take into account the government budget constraint so that our results have clear policy implications.

Suggested Citation

  • Kneller, Richard & Misch, Florian, 2013. "The effects of public spending composition on firm productivity," ZEW Discussion Papers 13-014, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:zewdip:13014
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    6. Devarajan, Shantayanan & Swaroop, Vinaya & Heng-fu, Zou, 1996. "The composition of public expenditure and economic growth," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(2-3), pages 313-344, April.
    7. Jens Matthias Arnold & Aaditya Mattoo & Gaia Narciso, 2008. "Services Inputs and Firm Productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from Firm-Level Data," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 17(4), pages 578-599, August.
    8. Jean-Jacques Dethier & Maximilian Hirn & Stéphane Straub, 2011. "Explaining Enterprise Performance in Developing Countries with Business Climate Survey Data," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 26(2), pages 258-309, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Era Dabla-Norris & Florian Misch & Duncan Cleary & Munawer Khwaja, 2020. "The quality of tax administration and firm performance: evidence from developing countries," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 27(3), pages 514-551, June.
    2. Ahmed, Riaz, 2016. "Social infrastructure and productivity of manufacturing firms: Evidence from Pakistan," ZEW Discussion Papers 16-038, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    3. Luc Jacolin & Joseph Keneck Massil & Alphonse Noah, 2021. "Informal sector and mobile financial services in emerging and developing countries: Does financial innovation matter?," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(9), pages 2703-2737, September.
    4. Gumede, Vusi & Bila, Santos, 2022. "Applying the National Income Identity Approach in Examining Determinants of Economic Growth in South Africa," African Journal of Economic Review, African Journal of Economic Review, vol. 10(2), April.
    5. Sanja Borkovic & Peter Tabak, 2018. "Public investment and corporate productivity in Croatia," Public Sector Economics, Institute of Public Finance, vol. 42(2), pages 171-186.
    6. Bakhtiari, Sasan, 2021. "Government financial assistance as catalyst for private financing," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 59-78.
    7. Amin, Mohammad & Islam, Asif, 2015. "Are Large Informal Firms More Productive than the Small Informal Firms? Evidence from Firm-Level Surveys in Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 374-385.
    8. Maty Konte & Godsway Korku Tetteh, 2023. "Mobile money, traditional financial services and firm productivity in Africa," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(2), pages 745-769, February.
    9. Liudmila Ivanovna Khoruzhy & Malvina Rasulovna Karabasheva & Hafis Ahmed oglu Hajiyev & Natalia Nikolaevna Zhadobina & Natalia Andreevna Alekhina & Rustem Adamovich Shichiyakh, 2020. "Controlled foreign companies: influence on the sovereignty of the national tax base," Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, VsI Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Center, vol. 8(2), pages 33-50, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Public Spending Composition; Productive Public Spending; Firm Productivity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • H32 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Firm
    • H72 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Budget and Expenditures
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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