Fiscal policy pro-cyclicality in Sub-Saharan African countries: The role of export concentration

Rasmane Ouedraogo () and Windemanegda Sandrine Sourouema

Economic Modelling, 2018, vol. 74, issue C, 219-229

Abstract: Sub-Saharan Africa's exports remain dominated by primary commodities, and the need to diversify their production and export base appears as a matter of urgency. This paper investigates the impact of exports concentration on fiscal pro-cyclicality in sub-Saharan Africa. The concentration of exports limits the sources of revenues for governments and restrains the fiscal room for maneuver. Using a sample of 40 countries over the period 1995–2015, we find that export concentration increases the degree of fiscal policy pro-cyclicality, and this result is driven by the behavior of public investment. Our findings highlight the importance of diversifying exports in order to widen the range of revenue sources for governments and pave the way of countercyclical public investment capable of generating sustainable growth.

Keywords: Fiscal policy; Exports concentration; Sub-Saharan Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E3 E6 F14 H3 O24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecmode:v:74:y:2018:i:c:p:219-229

DOI: 10.1016/j.econmod.2018.05.017

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