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The cyclicality of education, health, and social security government spending

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  • António Afonso
  • João Tovar Jalles

Abstract

We use a panel of developed and emerging countries for the period 1970-2008 to assess the cyclicality of education, health, and social security government spending. We mostly find acyclical behaviour, but evidence also points to counter-cyclicality for social security spending, particularly in OECD countries, consistent with the operation of automatic stabilizers. JEL Classification: C23, E62, H50.

Suggested Citation

  • António Afonso & João Tovar Jalles, 2012. "The cyclicality of education, health, and social security government spending," Working Papers Department of Economics 2012/30, ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management, Department of Economics, Universidade de Lisboa.
    • Handle: RePEc:ise:isegwp:wp302012
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    Cited by:

    1. Heimberger, Philipp, 2023. "The cyclical behaviour of fiscal policy: A meta-analysis," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    2. Afonso, António & Carvalho, Francisco Tiago, 2022. "Time-varying cyclicality of fiscal policy: The case of the Euro area," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    3. Davide Furceri & João Tovar Jalles, 2018. "Determinants and Effects of Fiscal Counter-Cyclicality," Revista ESPE - Ensayos sobre Política Económica, Banco de la Republica de Colombia, vol. 36(85), pages 137-151, April.
    4. Moheddine Younsi & Marwa Bechtini, 2024. "Financing Health Systems in Developing Countries: the Role of Government Spending and Taxation," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(3), pages 13182-13210, September.
    5. W. Qazizada & E. Stockhammer, 2015. "Government spending multipliers in contraction and expansion," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(2), pages 238-258, March.
    6. Jalles, João Tovar, 2020. "Social expenditure cyclicality: New time-varying evidence in developing economies," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 44(3).
    7. António Afonso & Francisco Tiago Carvalho, 2021. "Euro area time-varying cyclicality of fiscal policy," Working Papers REM 2021/0202, ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management, REM, Universidade de Lisboa.
    8. Jalles, João Tovar, 2021. "Dynamics of government spending cyclicality," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 411-427.
    9. Funashima, Yoshito & Horiba, Isao & Miyahara, Shoichi, 2015. "Local Government Investments and Ineffectiveness of Fiscal Stimulus during Japan's Lost Decades," MPRA Paper 61333, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Funashima, Yoshito, 2015. "Governmentally amplified output volatility," MPRA Paper 65330, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    11. Cruz-Castro, Laura & Sanz-Menéndez, Luis, 2016. "The effects of the economic crisis on public research: Spanish budgetary policies and research organizations," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 113(PB), pages 157-167.
    12. João Tovar Jalles & Youssouf Kiendrebeogo & Raphael Lam & Roberto Piazza, 2024. "Revisiting the countercyclicality of fiscal policy," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 67(3), pages 877-914, September.
    13. Funashima, Yoshito, 2016. "Governmentally amplified output volatility," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 462(C), pages 469-478.
    14. Deepak Kumar Behera & Ranjan Kumar Mohanty & Umakant Dash, 2020. "Cyclicality of public health expenditure in India: role of fiscal transfer and domestic revenue mobilization," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 67(1), pages 87-110, March.
    15. SVETLANA Solyannikova & С. Солянникова П., 2015. "Ответственная Бюджетная Политика В Социальной Сфере: Проблемы Разработки И Реализации // A Responsible Budgetary Policy In The Social Sphere: Problems Of Development And Implementation," Экономика. Налоги. Право // Economics, taxes & law, ФГОБУ "Финансовый университет при Правительстве Российской Федерации" // Financial University under The Government of Russian Federation, issue 5, pages 45-51.
    16. Sandrine Michel, 2018. "Social spending as a driver of economic growth: has the theoretical consensus of the 1980s led to successful economic policies?," Post-Print hal-01944296, HAL.
    17. Liang, Li-Lin & Tussing, A. Dale, 2019. "The cyclicality of government health expenditure and its effects on population health," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 123(1), pages 96-103.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    business cycle; output gap; functional spending; panel analysis.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory
    • H50 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - General

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