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On the Causal Relationship between Public Debt and GDP Growth Rates in Panel Data Models

Author

Listed:
  • Josip Tica

    (Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb)

  • Vladimir Arčabić

    (Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb)

  • Junsoo Lee

    (Department of Economics, Finance & Legal Studies, University of Alabama)

  • Robert J. Sonora

    (Department of Economics, Fort Lewis College)

Abstract

The influential and controversial paper by Reinhart and Rogoff (2010) triggered a debate on the effects of public debt on economic growth. Subsequent papers provide more convincing results. However, one of the key assumptions implied in these studies is that lower economic growth is spurred by high debt. If the reverse causality holds, the usual estimation of the model can yield biased estimators because of a feedback effect. We formally examine the causal relationship between public debt and economic growth in the panel VAR model using Granger causality test. Results show that the inter-temporal causal relationship is bi-directional. These findings provide a warning regarding the estimation results in many previous studies that might have ignored the role of the feedback effect.

Suggested Citation

  • Josip Tica & Vladimir Arčabić & Junsoo Lee & Robert J. Sonora, 2014. "On the Causal Relationship between Public Debt and GDP Growth Rates in Panel Data Models," EFZG Working Papers Series 1409, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb.
    • Handle: RePEc:zag:wpaper:1409
    as

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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Carmen M. Reinhart & Kenneth S. Rogoff, 2010. "Growth in a Time of Debt," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 100(2), pages 573-578, May.
    2. Ugo Panizza & Andrea F. Presbitero, 2013. "Public Debt and Economic Growth in Advanced Economies: A Survey," Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics (SJES), Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics (SSES), vol. 149(II), pages 175-204, June.
    3. Stephen G. Cecchetti & Sunil Mohanty & Fabrizio Zampolli, 2011. "Achieving growth amid fiscal imbalances: the real effects of debt," Proceedings - Economic Policy Symposium - Jackson Hole, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, pages 145-196.
    4. Checherita-Westphal, Cristina & Rother, Philipp, 2012. "The impact of high government debt on economic growth and its channels: An empirical investigation for the euro area," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(7), pages 1392-1405.
    5. Jaejoon Woo & Manmohan S. Kumar, 2015. "Public Debt and Growth," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 82(328), pages 705-739, October.
    6. Mr. Andrea Pescatori & Mr. Damiano Sandri & John Simon, 2014. "Debt and Growth: Is There a Magic Threshold?," IMF Working Papers 2014/034, International Monetary Fund.
    7. Stephen Cecchetti & Madhusudan Mohanty & Fabrizio Zampolli, 2011. "The real effects of debt," BIS Working Papers 352, Bank for International Settlements.
    8. Baum, Anja & Checherita-Westphal, Cristina & Rother, Philipp, 2013. "Debt and growth: New evidence for the euro area," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 809-821.
    9. International Monetary Fund, 2010. "A Historical Public Debt Database," IMF Working Papers 2010/245, International Monetary Fund.
    10. Manuel Arellano & Stephen Bond, 1991. "Some Tests of Specification for Panel Data: Monte Carlo Evidence and an Application to Employment Equations," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 58(2), pages 277-297.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Cited by:

    1. Mengkai Chen & Ting Chen & Debao Ruan & Xiaowei Wang, 2023. "Land Finance, Real Estate Market, and Local Government Debt Risk: Evidence from China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-18, August.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Public debt; Feedback Effect; Reverse Causality; Panel VAR models;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • C22 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Time-Series Models; Dynamic Quantile Regressions; Dynamic Treatment Effect Models; Diffusion Processes

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