Public Spending and Growth in an Economic and Monetary Union : The Case of West Africa

The focus of the paper is on how public spending volume, composition (current versus capital), and quality are linked to the per capita growth rates of the West Africa economic and monetary union (WAEMU) countries, which have been fluctuating and r...

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Main Authors: Moreno-Dodson, Blanca, Bayraktar, Nihal
Format: Working Paper
Language:English
en_US
Published: World Bank, Washington, DC 2015
Subjects:
TAX
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2015/11/25247607/public-spending-growth-economic-monetary-union-case-west-africa
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/22928
id okr-10986-22928
recordtype oai_dc
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language English
en_US
topic GOVERNMENT BUDGET CONSTRAINT
DEFICIT
EXPENDITURE CLASSIFICATION
TOTAL CAPITAL EXPENDITURES
PUBLIC CONSUMPTION
ECONOMIC GROWTH
ACCOUNTING
INTANGIBLE ASSETS
FISCAL BALANCES
REVENUE MOBILIZATION
CAPITAL ACCUMULATION
PUBLIC REVENUES
PUBLIC ECONOMICS
NET LENDING
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
COEFFICIENTS
FISCAL DEFICITS
EFFECTIVENESS OF GOVERNMENT
TOTAL PUBLIC EXPENDITURES
PUBLIC EDUCATION
CREDIBLE BUDGET
PUBLIC INVESTMENTS
PUBLIC SECTOR
GOVERNMENT SPENDING
ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS
CURRENT EXPENDITURES
PROGRAMS
SERVICES
PUBLIC SERVICES
INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT
REVENUES
FISCAL POLICY
GROWTH MODEL
TAX BURDEN
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
TAX SYSTEMS
LEVEL OF PUBLIC SPENDING
TAX
LOWER TAXES
BENEFICIARIES
INFLATION
TOTAL PUBLIC EXPENDITURE
PUBLIC FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
PUBLIC HEALTH
BUDGET
POVERTY REDUCTION
GOVERNMENT CONSUMPTION
SUBNATIONAL
MACROECONOMIC STABILITY
CAPITAL BUDGET
PUBLIC EXPENDITURE ON HEALTH
POLICY PRIORITIES
LEVELS OF PUBLIC SPENDING
TOTAL EXPENDITURE
GOVERNMENT POLICY
FISCAL REPORTING
EFFECTIVENESS OF PUBLIC SPENDING
CAPITAL FORMATION
INFLATIONARY PRESSURES
RECURRENT EXPENDITURES
MONETARY UNION
BUDGET EXECUTION
TRANSFERS
NATURAL DISASTERS
DEBT
PRIVATE INVESTMENT
INFLATION RATE
BUDGET DEFICIT
CAPITAL ASSETS
BUDGET DEFICITS
CAPITAL EXPENDITURE
TAX REVENUES
DATA ANALYSIS
POLICY DECISIONS
FISCAL VARIABLES
NATURAL RESOURCES
DEBT SERVICE
PUBLIC INVESTMENT
EDUCATION SPENDING
INFRASTRUCTURE
TAXES
PUBLIC FIXED INVESTMENT
HEALTH SPENDING
EXPENDITURE
INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT
DATA AVAILABILITY
DEBT RATIO
BUDGET CONSTRAINT
GROSS FIXED CAPITAL FORMATION
ACCOUNTABILITY
GOVERNMENT BUDGET
TRANSPARENCY
CIVILIAN CENTRAL GOVERNMENT
PUBLIC EXPENDITURE
BUDGET SURPLUS
FINANCIAL CAPITAL
BUDGET BALANCE
POLICY MAKERS
PUBLIC SPENDING ALLOCATIONS
PUBLIC ACCOUNTS
BUDGETS
PUBLIC BUDGET
CENTRAL GOVERNMENT
GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE
PUBLIC EXPENDITURES
REVENUE LEVELS
EXPENDITURES
PRIVATE SECTOR
PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS
TRADE LIBERALIZATION
DEBT RATIOS
PUBLIC DEBT
TAX REVENUE
CAPITAL SPENDING
TAXATION
RATIO OF PUBLIC SPENDING
FISCAL SPACE
DOMESTIC INVESTMENT
GROWTH RATE
PUBLIC CAPITAL
EFFECTIVENESS OF GOVERNMENT SPENDING
FISCAL STABILITY
TOTAL SPENDING
FISCAL MANAGEMENT
POVERTY
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
DEBT SERVICE PAYMENTS
FISCAL BALANCE
UNCERTAINTY
EXPENDITURE COMPOSITION
REVENUE
PRIVATE CONSUMPTION
COUNTRY ECONOMISTS
CAPITAL EXPENDITURES
POLICY FORMULATION
TOTAL GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE
EXCHANGE RATE
FISCAL DISCIPLINE
FISCAL REVENUE
PUBLIC SPENDING
CAPITAL INVESTMENT
PUBLIC SECTOR MANAGEMENT
PUBLIC EMPLOYEES
PRICE INDEX
OUTCOMES
CIVIL SERVICE
GROWTH POTENTIAL
POLICY CHANGES
PUBLIC REVENUE
EXTERNAL BORROWING
TOTAL PUBLIC SPENDING
spellingShingle GOVERNMENT BUDGET CONSTRAINT
DEFICIT
EXPENDITURE CLASSIFICATION
TOTAL CAPITAL EXPENDITURES
PUBLIC CONSUMPTION
ECONOMIC GROWTH
ACCOUNTING
INTANGIBLE ASSETS
FISCAL BALANCES
REVENUE MOBILIZATION
CAPITAL ACCUMULATION
PUBLIC REVENUES
PUBLIC ECONOMICS
NET LENDING
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
COEFFICIENTS
FISCAL DEFICITS
EFFECTIVENESS OF GOVERNMENT
TOTAL PUBLIC EXPENDITURES
PUBLIC EDUCATION
CREDIBLE BUDGET
PUBLIC INVESTMENTS
PUBLIC SECTOR
GOVERNMENT SPENDING
ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS
CURRENT EXPENDITURES
PROGRAMS
SERVICES
PUBLIC SERVICES
INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT
REVENUES
FISCAL POLICY
GROWTH MODEL
TAX BURDEN
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
TAX SYSTEMS
LEVEL OF PUBLIC SPENDING
TAX
LOWER TAXES
BENEFICIARIES
INFLATION
TOTAL PUBLIC EXPENDITURE
PUBLIC FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
PUBLIC HEALTH
BUDGET
POVERTY REDUCTION
GOVERNMENT CONSUMPTION
SUBNATIONAL
MACROECONOMIC STABILITY
CAPITAL BUDGET
PUBLIC EXPENDITURE ON HEALTH
POLICY PRIORITIES
LEVELS OF PUBLIC SPENDING
TOTAL EXPENDITURE
GOVERNMENT POLICY
FISCAL REPORTING
EFFECTIVENESS OF PUBLIC SPENDING
CAPITAL FORMATION
INFLATIONARY PRESSURES
RECURRENT EXPENDITURES
MONETARY UNION
BUDGET EXECUTION
TRANSFERS
NATURAL DISASTERS
DEBT
PRIVATE INVESTMENT
INFLATION RATE
BUDGET DEFICIT
CAPITAL ASSETS
BUDGET DEFICITS
CAPITAL EXPENDITURE
TAX REVENUES
DATA ANALYSIS
POLICY DECISIONS
FISCAL VARIABLES
NATURAL RESOURCES
DEBT SERVICE
PUBLIC INVESTMENT
EDUCATION SPENDING
INFRASTRUCTURE
TAXES
PUBLIC FIXED INVESTMENT
HEALTH SPENDING
EXPENDITURE
INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT
DATA AVAILABILITY
DEBT RATIO
BUDGET CONSTRAINT
GROSS FIXED CAPITAL FORMATION
ACCOUNTABILITY
GOVERNMENT BUDGET
TRANSPARENCY
CIVILIAN CENTRAL GOVERNMENT
PUBLIC EXPENDITURE
BUDGET SURPLUS
FINANCIAL CAPITAL
BUDGET BALANCE
POLICY MAKERS
PUBLIC SPENDING ALLOCATIONS
PUBLIC ACCOUNTS
BUDGETS
PUBLIC BUDGET
CENTRAL GOVERNMENT
GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE
PUBLIC EXPENDITURES
REVENUE LEVELS
EXPENDITURES
PRIVATE SECTOR
PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS
TRADE LIBERALIZATION
DEBT RATIOS
PUBLIC DEBT
TAX REVENUE
CAPITAL SPENDING
TAXATION
RATIO OF PUBLIC SPENDING
FISCAL SPACE
DOMESTIC INVESTMENT
GROWTH RATE
PUBLIC CAPITAL
EFFECTIVENESS OF GOVERNMENT SPENDING
FISCAL STABILITY
TOTAL SPENDING
FISCAL MANAGEMENT
POVERTY
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
DEBT SERVICE PAYMENTS
FISCAL BALANCE
UNCERTAINTY
EXPENDITURE COMPOSITION
REVENUE
PRIVATE CONSUMPTION
COUNTRY ECONOMISTS
CAPITAL EXPENDITURES
POLICY FORMULATION
TOTAL GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE
EXCHANGE RATE
FISCAL DISCIPLINE
FISCAL REVENUE
PUBLIC SPENDING
CAPITAL INVESTMENT
PUBLIC SECTOR MANAGEMENT
PUBLIC EMPLOYEES
PRICE INDEX
OUTCOMES
CIVIL SERVICE
GROWTH POTENTIAL
POLICY CHANGES
PUBLIC REVENUE
EXTERNAL BORROWING
TOTAL PUBLIC SPENDING
Moreno-Dodson, Blanca
Bayraktar, Nihal
Public Spending and Growth in an Economic and Monetary Union : The Case of West Africa
geographic_facet Africa
West Africa
relation MFM Global Practice discussion paper,no. 6;
description The focus of the paper is on how public spending volume, composition (current versus capital), and quality are linked to the per capita growth rates of the West Africa economic and monetary union (WAEMU) countries, which have been fluctuating and remain relatively low compared to other parts of the world. The empirical analysis covers the period 2000-2013. The results indicate that total public spending has a significant impact on growth. While the impact of the capital component is positive and statistically significant, the effect of the current component is consistently negative, but not significant. When the capital component is further split into two: public fixed capital investment and public other capital expenditures, defined as total public capital expenditure minus public fixed capital investment, the results show that not only physical capital formation but also human capital spending is important for growth in the WAEMU group. While the volatility measure for public investment has a clear negative and statistically significant impact on growth, the quality of public fixed investment has a positive impact. The findings also indicate that fiscal deficits have not been an important constraint to the effectiveness of government spending on growth, reflecting the fiscal discipline achieved in the union. On the other hand, the debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio clearly shows a significant negative impact on growth, indicating the risk associated with debt distress. Total fiscal revenue has a significant and positive effect on growth, most likely indicating relatively low levels of fiscal revenues to GDP ratios, partially boosted by natural resources, coupled with grants. In each regression specification, it is observed that the contributions of both trade openness and private investment on growth are positive and significant. The results also indicate that the quality of institutions, measured by an index of bureaucracy quality, is critical to enhancing the positive effect of public spending on growth. The results with country effects indicate that, at the individual country level, capital public expenditures are clearly much more relevant in explaining growth changes than current expenditures. The findings are robust to different regression methodologies, as well as the inclusion of short- and medium-term data.
format Working Paper
author Moreno-Dodson, Blanca
Bayraktar, Nihal
author_facet Moreno-Dodson, Blanca
Bayraktar, Nihal
author_sort Moreno-Dodson, Blanca
title Public Spending and Growth in an Economic and Monetary Union : The Case of West Africa
title_short Public Spending and Growth in an Economic and Monetary Union : The Case of West Africa
title_full Public Spending and Growth in an Economic and Monetary Union : The Case of West Africa
title_fullStr Public Spending and Growth in an Economic and Monetary Union : The Case of West Africa
title_full_unstemmed Public Spending and Growth in an Economic and Monetary Union : The Case of West Africa
title_sort public spending and growth in an economic and monetary union : the case of west africa
publisher World Bank, Washington, DC
publishDate 2015
url http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2015/11/25247607/public-spending-growth-economic-monetary-union-case-west-africa
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/22928
_version_ 1764452407311335424
spelling okr-10986-229282021-04-23T14:04:11Z Public Spending and Growth in an Economic and Monetary Union : The Case of West Africa Moreno-Dodson, Blanca Bayraktar, Nihal GOVERNMENT BUDGET CONSTRAINT DEFICIT EXPENDITURE CLASSIFICATION TOTAL CAPITAL EXPENDITURES PUBLIC CONSUMPTION ECONOMIC GROWTH ACCOUNTING INTANGIBLE ASSETS FISCAL BALANCES REVENUE MOBILIZATION CAPITAL ACCUMULATION PUBLIC REVENUES PUBLIC ECONOMICS NET LENDING FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT COEFFICIENTS FISCAL DEFICITS EFFECTIVENESS OF GOVERNMENT TOTAL PUBLIC EXPENDITURES PUBLIC EDUCATION CREDIBLE BUDGET PUBLIC INVESTMENTS PUBLIC SECTOR GOVERNMENT SPENDING ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS CURRENT EXPENDITURES PROGRAMS SERVICES PUBLIC SERVICES INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT REVENUES FISCAL POLICY GROWTH MODEL TAX BURDEN FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS TAX SYSTEMS LEVEL OF PUBLIC SPENDING TAX LOWER TAXES BENEFICIARIES INFLATION TOTAL PUBLIC EXPENDITURE PUBLIC FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT PUBLIC HEALTH BUDGET POVERTY REDUCTION GOVERNMENT CONSUMPTION SUBNATIONAL MACROECONOMIC STABILITY CAPITAL BUDGET PUBLIC EXPENDITURE ON HEALTH POLICY PRIORITIES LEVELS OF PUBLIC SPENDING TOTAL EXPENDITURE GOVERNMENT POLICY FISCAL REPORTING EFFECTIVENESS OF PUBLIC SPENDING CAPITAL FORMATION INFLATIONARY PRESSURES RECURRENT EXPENDITURES MONETARY UNION BUDGET EXECUTION TRANSFERS NATURAL DISASTERS DEBT PRIVATE INVESTMENT INFLATION RATE BUDGET DEFICIT CAPITAL ASSETS BUDGET DEFICITS CAPITAL EXPENDITURE TAX REVENUES DATA ANALYSIS POLICY DECISIONS FISCAL VARIABLES NATURAL RESOURCES DEBT SERVICE PUBLIC INVESTMENT EDUCATION SPENDING INFRASTRUCTURE TAXES PUBLIC FIXED INVESTMENT HEALTH SPENDING EXPENDITURE INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT DATA AVAILABILITY DEBT RATIO BUDGET CONSTRAINT GROSS FIXED CAPITAL FORMATION ACCOUNTABILITY GOVERNMENT BUDGET TRANSPARENCY CIVILIAN CENTRAL GOVERNMENT PUBLIC EXPENDITURE BUDGET SURPLUS FINANCIAL CAPITAL BUDGET BALANCE POLICY MAKERS PUBLIC SPENDING ALLOCATIONS PUBLIC ACCOUNTS BUDGETS PUBLIC BUDGET CENTRAL GOVERNMENT GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE PUBLIC EXPENDITURES REVENUE LEVELS EXPENDITURES PRIVATE SECTOR PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS TRADE LIBERALIZATION DEBT RATIOS PUBLIC DEBT TAX REVENUE CAPITAL SPENDING TAXATION RATIO OF PUBLIC SPENDING FISCAL SPACE DOMESTIC INVESTMENT GROWTH RATE PUBLIC CAPITAL EFFECTIVENESS OF GOVERNMENT SPENDING FISCAL STABILITY TOTAL SPENDING FISCAL MANAGEMENT POVERTY PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION DEBT SERVICE PAYMENTS FISCAL BALANCE UNCERTAINTY EXPENDITURE COMPOSITION REVENUE PRIVATE CONSUMPTION COUNTRY ECONOMISTS CAPITAL EXPENDITURES POLICY FORMULATION TOTAL GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE EXCHANGE RATE FISCAL DISCIPLINE FISCAL REVENUE PUBLIC SPENDING CAPITAL INVESTMENT PUBLIC SECTOR MANAGEMENT PUBLIC EMPLOYEES PRICE INDEX OUTCOMES CIVIL SERVICE GROWTH POTENTIAL POLICY CHANGES PUBLIC REVENUE EXTERNAL BORROWING TOTAL PUBLIC SPENDING The focus of the paper is on how public spending volume, composition (current versus capital), and quality are linked to the per capita growth rates of the West Africa economic and monetary union (WAEMU) countries, which have been fluctuating and remain relatively low compared to other parts of the world. The empirical analysis covers the period 2000-2013. The results indicate that total public spending has a significant impact on growth. While the impact of the capital component is positive and statistically significant, the effect of the current component is consistently negative, but not significant. When the capital component is further split into two: public fixed capital investment and public other capital expenditures, defined as total public capital expenditure minus public fixed capital investment, the results show that not only physical capital formation but also human capital spending is important for growth in the WAEMU group. While the volatility measure for public investment has a clear negative and statistically significant impact on growth, the quality of public fixed investment has a positive impact. The findings also indicate that fiscal deficits have not been an important constraint to the effectiveness of government spending on growth, reflecting the fiscal discipline achieved in the union. On the other hand, the debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio clearly shows a significant negative impact on growth, indicating the risk associated with debt distress. Total fiscal revenue has a significant and positive effect on growth, most likely indicating relatively low levels of fiscal revenues to GDP ratios, partially boosted by natural resources, coupled with grants. In each regression specification, it is observed that the contributions of both trade openness and private investment on growth are positive and significant. The results also indicate that the quality of institutions, measured by an index of bureaucracy quality, is critical to enhancing the positive effect of public spending on growth. The results with country effects indicate that, at the individual country level, capital public expenditures are clearly much more relevant in explaining growth changes than current expenditures. The findings are robust to different regression methodologies, as well as the inclusion of short- and medium-term data. 2015-11-10T16:21:49Z 2015-11-10T16:21:49Z 2015-10 Working Paper http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2015/11/25247607/public-spending-growth-economic-monetary-union-case-west-africa http://hdl.handle.net/10986/22928 English en_US MFM Global Practice discussion paper,no. 6; CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research :: Working Paper Publications & Research Africa West Africa