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Does Foreign Debt Contribute to Economic Growth?

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  • Tomoo Kikuchi
  • Satoshi Tobe

Abstract

We study the relationship between foreign debt and GDP growth using a panel dataset of 50 countries from 1997 to 2015. We find that economic growth correlates positively with foreign debt and that the relationship is causal in nature by using the sovereign credit default swap spread as an instrumental variable. Furthermore, we find that foreign debt increases investment and then GDP growth in subsequent years. Our findings suggest that lower sovereign default risks lead to higher foreign debt contributing to GDP growth more in OECD than non-OECD countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Tomoo Kikuchi & Satoshi Tobe, 2021. "Does Foreign Debt Contribute to Economic Growth?," Papers 2109.10517, arXiv.org, revised Nov 2022.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2109.10517
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