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On the Substitution of Private and Public Capital in Production

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  • Zidong An
  • Mr. Alvar Kangur
  • Mr. Chris Papageorgiou

Abstract

Most macroeconomic models assume that aggregate output is generated by a specification for the production function with total physical capital as a key input. Implicitly this assumes that private and public capital stocks are perfect substitutes. In this paper we test this assumption by estimating a nested-CES production function whereas the two types of capital are considered separately along with labor as inputs. The estimation is based on our newly developed dataset on public and private capital stocks for 151 countries over a period of 1960-2014 consistent with Penn World Table version 9. We find evidence against perfect substitutability between public and private capital, especially for emerging and LIDCs, with the point estimate of the elasticity of substitution estimated closely around 3.

Suggested Citation

  • Zidong An & Mr. Alvar Kangur & Mr. Chris Papageorgiou, 2019. "On the Substitution of Private and Public Capital in Production," IMF Working Papers 2019/232, International Monetary Fund.
    • Handle: RePEc:imf:imfwpa:2019/232
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    Cited by:

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    5. Qiang Wang & Thomas Dogot & Yueling Yang & Jian Jiao & Boyang Shi & Changbin Yin, 2020. "From “Coal to Gas” to “Coal to Biomass”: The Strategic Choice of Social Capital in China," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-22, August.
    6. An, Zidong & Zhang, Feinan & Li, Haibo, 2022. "Elasticity of substitution between public and private capital: Evidence from manufacturing firms in Europe," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 219(C).
    7. Espinoza Raphael & Gamboa-Arbelaez Juliana & Sy Mouhamadou, 2024. "The Fiscal Multiplier of Public Investment: The Role of Corporate Balance Sheet," The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, De Gruyter, vol. 24(1), pages 489-527, January.
    8. Kalamov, Zarko Y. & Zimmermann, Karl J., 2023. "GDP-linked bonds and economic growth," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    9. Cusato Novelli, Antonio & Barcia, Giancarlo, 2021. "Sovereign Risk, Public Investment and the Fiscal Policy Stance," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
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    11. Hallegatte, Stéphane & Jooste, Charl & McIsaac, Florent, 2024. "Modeling the macroeconomic consequences of natural disasters: Capital stock, recovery dynamics, and monetary policy," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    WP; production function; public capital; private capital; elasticity of substitution; substitution parameter; approximation method; point estimate; estimation result; confidence interval; coefficient estimate; Stocks; Public investment and public-private partnerships (PPP); Private investment; Human capital; Global;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O11 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O16 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment; Corporate Finance and Governance
    • O23 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Development Planning and Policy - - - Fiscal and Monetary Policy in Development

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