IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/wbk/wbrwps/1803.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Field adjustments in transition economies : social transfers and the efficiency of public spending - a comparison with OECD countries

Author

Listed:
  • Fakin, Barbara
  • de Crombrugghe, Alain

Abstract

Despite a dramatic shift away from subsidies in the early years of transition, the countries of Central Europe still show signs of unsuccessful fiscal adjustment, insufficient deficit reduction, and loose spending policy. High social transfers and low efficiency of government spending remain two challenges of fiscal adjustment and long-term sustainability of budgetary policy choices. A cross-country regression analysis shows that the problems with high social-security outlays are largely the result of loose eligibility criteria (many pensions go to early retirees) under current state pay-as-you-go pension systems - and not so much to old populations or high replacement rates. The authors suggest that transition economies should strive for a real social consensus on the reform of future pension rights. The transition to a funded pension system could be financed by a combination of: government debt; proceeds from privatization; and efficiency gains from lowering and/or restructuring government spending in favor of infrastructure, retraining, and market-oriented tertiary education.

Suggested Citation

  • Fakin, Barbara & de Crombrugghe, Alain, 1997. "Field adjustments in transition economies : social transfers and the efficiency of public spending - a comparison with OECD countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 1803, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:1803
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2000/02/24/000009265_3971110141338/Rendered/PDF/multi_page.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Robert J. Barro, 1991. "Economic Growth in a Cross Section of Countries," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 106(2), pages 407-443.
    2. Henry Tulkens, 2006. "On FDH Efficiency Analysis: Some Methodological Issues and Applications to Retail Banking, Courts and Urban Transit," Springer Books, in: Parkash Chander & Jacques Drèze & C. Knox Lovell & Jack Mintz (ed.), Public goods, environmental externalities and fiscal competition, chapter 0, pages 311-342, Springer.
    3. Sachs, Jeffrey D. & Warner, Andrew M., 1996. "Achieving Rapid Growth in the Transition Economies of Central Europe," Harvard Institute for International Development (HIID) Papers 294091, Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government.
    4. Marek Dabrowski, 1996. "Fiscal Crisis in the Transformation Period: Trends, Stylized Facts and Some Conceptual Problems," CASE Network Studies and Analyses 0072, CASE-Center for Social and Economic Research.
    5. Burgess, Robin & Stern, Nicholas, 1993. "Taxation and Development," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 31(2), pages 762-830, June.
    6. Barbone, Luca & Polackova, Hana, 1996. "Public finances and economic transition," Policy Research Working Paper Series 1585, The World Bank.
    7. Paul Cashin, 1995. "Government Spending, Taxes, and Economic Growth," IMF Staff Papers, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 42(2), pages 237-269, June.
    8. Barro, Robert J, 1990. "Government Spending in a Simple Model of Endogenous Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 98(5), pages 103-126, October.
    9. Alberto Alesina & Roberto Perotti, 1995. "Fiscal Expansions and Fiscal Adjustments in OECD Countries," NBER Working Papers 5214, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Hans Grüner, 1995. "Redistributive policy, inequality and growth," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 62(1), pages 1-23, February.
    11. Breyer, Friedrich & Straub, Martin, 1993. "Welfare effects of unfunded pension systems when labor supply is endogenous," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(1), pages 77-91, January.
    12. Feldstein, Martin S, 1974. "Social Security, Induced Retirement, and Aggregate Capital Accumulation," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 82(5), pages 905-926, Sept./Oct.
    13. Luca Barbone & Domenico Marchetti, 1995. "Transition and the fiscal crisis in Central Europe," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 3(1), pages 59-74, March.
    14. Newbery, David M G, 1995. "Tax and Benefit Reform in Central and Eastern Europe," CEPR Discussion Papers 1167, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    15. VANDEN EECKAUT, Philippe & TULKENS, Henry & JAMAR, Marie-Astrid, 1993. "Cost efficiency in Belgian municipalities," LIDAM Reprints CORE 1033, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Afonso, Antonio & St. Aubyn, Miguel, 2005. "Non-Parametric Approaches to Education and Health Efficiency in OECD Countries," Journal of Applied Economics, Universidad del CEMA, vol. 8(2), pages 1-20, November.
    2. António Afonso & Ludger Schuknecht & Vito Tanzi, 2010. "Income distribution determinants and public spending efficiency," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 8(3), pages 367-389, September.
    3. Ruwan Jayasuriya & Quentin Wodon, 2007. "Efficiency in Improving Health and Education Outcomes: Provincial and State-Level Estimates for Argentina and Mexico," Estudios Económicos, El Colegio de México, Centro de Estudios Económicos, vol. 22(1), pages 57-97.
    4. World Bank, 2003. "Armenia : Public Expenditure Review," World Bank Publications - Reports 13926, The World Bank Group.
    5. Antonio Afonso & Ludger Schuknecht & Vito Tanzi, 2010. "Public sector efficiency: evidence for new EU member states and emerging markets," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(17), pages 2147-2164.
    6. Àlexandr Knobel & Ilya Sokolov & Elizaveta Khudko, 2011. "The Impact of State Expenditure on the Quality of General Education in Russia," Research Paper Series, Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy, issue 152P.
    7. Onrubia-Fernández, Jorge & Fuentes, Antonio Jesús, 2017. "How costly are public sector inefficiencies? A theoretical framework for rationalising fiscal consolidations," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 11, pages 1-19.
    8. António Afonso & Ludger Schuknecht & Vito Tanzi, 2005. "Public sector efficiency: An international comparison," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 123(3), pages 321-347, June.
    9. Antonio Afonso & Carla Scaglioni, 2005. "Public Services Efficiency Provision in Italian Regions: a Non-Parametric Analysis," Working Papers Department of Economics 2005/02, ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management, Department of Economics, Universidade de Lisboa.
    10. Christiaensen, Luc & Scott, Christopher & Wodon, Quentin, 2002. "Metas y costos del desarrollo [Development Targets and Costs]," MPRA Paper 10493, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    11. Christiaensen, Luc & Scott, Christopher & Wodon, Quentin, 2002. "Cibles du développement et coûts [Development targets and costs]," MPRA Paper 10494, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Aleksander Aristovnik, 2014. "Relative Efficiency Of Primary Education: An International Comparison," Economy & Business Journal, International Scientific Publications, Bulgaria, vol. 8(1), pages 17-24.
    13. Mohanty, Ranjan Kumar & Bhanumurthy, N.R., 2018. "Assessing Public Expenditure Efficiency at Indian States," Working Papers 18/225, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy.
    14. Christiaensen, Luc & Scott, Christopher & Wodon, Quentin, 2002. "Задачи Развития И Затраты [Development targets and costs]," MPRA Paper 10495, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. World Bank, 2003. "Public Expenditure Review for Armenia," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 15086.
    16. António Afonso & Sónia Fernandes, 2003. "Efficiency of Local Government Spending: Evidence for the Lisbon Region," Working Papers Department of Economics 2003/09, ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management, Department of Economics, Universidade de Lisboa.
    17. Jayasuriya, Ruwan & Wodon, Quentin, 2003. "Measuring and Explaining Country Efficiency in Improving Health and Education Indicators," MPRA Paper 11183, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    18. Aleksander Aristovnik, 2013. "Relative Efficiency of Education Expenditures in Eastern Europe: A Non-parametric Approach," Journal of Knowledge Management, Economics and Information Technology, ScientificPapers.org, vol. 3(3), pages 1-4, June.
    19. Gupta, Sanjeev & Verhoeven, Marijn, 2001. "The efficiency of government expenditure: experiences from Africa," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 23(4), pages 433-467, May.
    20. Jorge Onrubia-Fernández & A. Jesús Sánchez-Fuentes, 2014. "How costly are the public sector ineffiencies? An integrated theoretical framework for its welfare assessment," Working Papers. Collection A: Public economics, governance and decentralization 1407, Universidade de Vigo, GEN - Governance and Economics research Network.
    21. António Afonso & Miguel St. Aubyn, 2004. "Non-parametric Approaches to Education and Health Expenditure Efficiency in OECD Countries," Working Papers Department of Economics 2004/01, ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management, Department of Economics, Universidade de Lisboa.
    22. Christiaensen, Luc & Scott, Christopher & Wodon, Quentin, 2002. "Development Targets and Costs," MPRA Paper 12299, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    23. Aleksander Aristovnik, 2011. "The relative efficiency of education and R&D expenditures in the new EU member states," Journal of Business Economics and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(5), pages 832-848, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dimitrios Paparas & Christian Richter, 2015. "Fiscal policy and economic growth: Empirical evidence from the European Union," Working Papers 2015.06, International Network for Economic Research - INFER.
    2. Dimitrios PAPARAS & Christian RICHTER & Alexandros PAPARAS, 2015. "Fiscal Policy and Economic Growth, Empirical Evidence in European Union," Turkish Economic Review, KSP Journals, vol. 2(4), pages 239-268, December.
    3. Alain de Crombrugghe & Barbara Fakin, 1995. "Soviet Union, Russia, Budget System, Economic Transition," CASE Network Studies and Analyses 0045, CASE-Center for Social and Economic Research.
    4. Sefa Awaworyi & Siew Ling Yew, 2014. "Government Transfers and Growth: Is there Evidence of Genuine Effect?," Monash Economics Working Papers 40-14, Monash University, Department of Economics.
    5. Alessandra Cepparulo & Gilles Mourre, 2020. "How and How Much? The Growth-Friendliness of Public Spending through the Lens," European Economy - Discussion Papers 132, Directorate General Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), European Commission.
    6. Óscar Bajo Rubio & Carmen Díaz Roldán & M.a Dolores Montávez Garcés, "undated". "Fiscal Policy And Growth Revisited: The Case Of The Spanish Regions," Working Papers 19-02 Classification-JEL , Instituto de Estudios Fiscales.
    7. Stegarescu, Dan, 2013. "Does expenditure composition influence the debt level? Evidence from German federal states," Discussion Papers 52/2013, Deutsche Bundesbank.
    8. Youze Lang & Qiuyi Yang, 2019. "Does Public Infrastructure Breed Consumption Downgrade and Overcapacity in China? A DSGE Approach on Macroeconomic Effects," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-23, February.
    9. Hyun Park, 2010. "Fiscal Policy and Equitable Growth," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(1), pages 121-140, February.
    10. Richard Kneller & Norman Gemmell, 2002. "Fiscal Policy, Growth and Convergence in Europe," European Economy Group Working Papers 14, European Economy Group.
    11. Folster, Stefan & Henrekson, Magnus, 1999. "Growth and the public sector: a critique of the critics," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 337-358, June.
    12. Alban Elshani & Leke Pula, 2023. "Impact of Taxes on Economic Growth: An Empirical Study in the Eurozone," Economic Studies journal, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences - Economic Research Institute, issue 2, pages 24-41.
    13. Shanaka Herath, 2009. "The Size of the Government and Economic Growth: An Empirical Study of Sri Lanka," SRE-Disc sre-disc-2009_08, Institute for Multilevel Governance and Development, Department of Socioeconomics, Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    14. Elie Ndemba Tshilambu, 2022. "Politique budgétaire, Investissement privé et performance macroéconomique en République démocratique du Congo ," Post-Print hal-03627267, HAL.
    15. Emilian DOBRESCU, 2016. "Controversies over the Size of the Public Budget," Journal for Economic Forecasting, Institute for Economic Forecasting, vol. 0(4), pages 5-34, December.
    16. Bellettini, Giorgio & Ceroni, Carlotta Berti, 2000. "Social security expenditure and economic growth: an empirical assessment," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(3), pages 249-275, September.
    17. Tomasz Skica & Tomasz Wo³owiec & Galya Gercheva, 2014. "Income Taxes, Public Fiscal Policy And Economic Growth," "e-Finanse", University of Information Technology and Management, Institute of Financial Research and Analysis, vol. 10(3), pages 52-64, December.
    18. Menescal, Lucas & Alves, José, 2024. "Optimal threshold taxation: An empirical investigation for developing economies," The Journal of Economic Asymmetries, Elsevier, vol. 29(C).
    19. Kneller, Richard, 2000. "The Implications of the Comprehensive Spending Review for the Long-Run Growth Rate: a View From the Literature," National Institute Economic Review, National Institute of Economic and Social Research, vol. 171, pages 94-105, January.
    20. Awaworyi Churchill, S. & Yew, S.L., 2017. "Are government transfers harmful to economic growth? A meta-analysis," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 270-287.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:1803. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Roula I. Yazigi (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/dvewbus.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.