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Testing threshold cointegration in Wagner's Law: The role of military spending

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  • Cavicchioli, Maddalena
  • Pistoresi, Barbara

Abstract

This paper analyses historical data since the mid-19th century to find support for Wagner's Law in the Italian economy. Unlike previous studies, we accommodate possible nonlinear asymmetric effects of government spending and GDP towards their long-run equilibrium. The results reveal a threshold cointegrating relationship between the two variables with significantly different error correction adjustments in normal and extreme regimes. A long-run tendency for the public sector to grow relative to GDP from 1862 to 2009 is observed only when nonlinearities generated by temporary higher military spending during wars are take into account.

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  • Cavicchioli, Maddalena & Pistoresi, Barbara, 2016. "Testing threshold cointegration in Wagner's Law: The role of military spending," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 23-31.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecmode:v:59:y:2016:i:c:p:23-31
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econmod.2016.06.011
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    Cited by:

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    2. Nguyen, Canh Phuc & Su, Thanh Dinh, 2022. "The influences of government spending on energy poverty: Evidence from developing countries," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 238(PA).
    3. Rafał Woźniak & Jacek Lewkowicz, 2023. "Can We Have More Butter and Guns Simultaneously? An Endogeneity Perspective," Gospodarka Narodowa. The Polish Journal of Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, issue 2, pages 28-46.
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    8. Funashima, Yoshito & Hiraga, Kazuki, 2016. "Wagner's law, fiscal discipline, and intergovernmental transfer: Empirical evidence at the U.S. and German state levels," MPRA Paper 73551, University Library of Munich, Germany.
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    12. Yoshito Funashima & Kazuki Hiraga, 2017. "Wagner’s law, fiscal discipline, and intergovernmental transfer: empirical evidence at the US and German state levels," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 24(4), pages 652-677, August.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Time series; Nonlinearity; Threshold Vector Error Correction; Public spending; Economic growth; Wagner's Law;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C01 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - General - - - Econometrics
    • C34 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Truncated and Censored Models; Switching Regression Models
    • H1 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government
    • H5 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies

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