Growth Effects of Government Expenditure and Taxation in Rich Countries: A Comment

Jonas Agell (), Henry Ohlsson () and Peter Skogman Thoursie ()
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Jonas Agell: Dept. of Economics, Stockholm University, Postal: Department of Economics, Stockholm University, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden, http://www.ne.su.se
Peter Skogman Thoursie: Dept. of Economics, Stockholm University, Postal: Department of Economics, Stockholm University, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden, http://www.ne.su.se

No 2003:14, Research Papers in Economics from Stockholm University, Department of Economics

Abstract: In a recent article Stefan Fölster and Magnus Henrekson [2001] argue that “…the more the econometric problems that are addressed, the more robust the relationship between government size and economic growth appears”. But in failing to control for simultaneity in a valid manner the regressions reported by Fölster/Henrekson are flawed. Moreover, using theoretically valid instruments we find that the estimated partial correlation between size of the public sector and economic growth is statistically insignificant and highly unstable across specifications. A policy-maker who wants to promote growth is well-advised to look for other evidence than cross-country growth regressions.

Keywords: Economic growth; public sector; cross-country regressions; panel regressions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E62 H20 H50 O57 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-pbe
Date: 2003-11-06
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Journal Article: Growth effects of government expenditure and taxation in rich countries: A comment (2006)
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