Showing papers on "Real gross domestic product published in 2009"

By How Much Does GDP Rise If the Government Buys More Output

Abstract: During World War II and the Korean War, real GDP grew by about half the increase in government purchases. With allowance for other factors holding back GDP growth during those wars, the multiplier linking government purchases to GDP may be in the range of 0.7 to 1.0, a range generally supported by research based on vector autoregressions that control for other determinants, but higher values are not ruled out. New Keynesian macroeconomic models yield multipliers in that range as well. Neoclassical models produce much lower multipliers, because they predict that consumption falls when government purchases rise. Models that deliver higher multipliers feature a decline in the markup ratio of price over cost when output rises, and an elastic response of employment to increased demand. These characteristics are complementary to another Keynesian feature, the linkage of consumption to current income. The GDP multiplier is higher—perhaps around 1.7—when the nominal interest rate is at its lower bound of zero.

The wrath of God : macroeconomic costs of natural disasters

Abstract: The process of global climate change has been associated with an increase in the frequency of climatic disasters. Yet, there is still little systematic evidence on the macroeconomic costs of these episodes. This paper uses panel time-series techniques to estimate the short and long-run impact of climatic and other disasters on a country's GDP. The results indicate that a climate related disaster reduces real GDP per capita by at least 0.6 percent. Therefore, the increased incidence of these disasters during recent decades entails important macroeconomic costs. Among climatic disasters, droughts have the largest average impact, with cumulative losses of 1 percent of GDP per capita. Across groups of countries, small states are more vulnerable than other countries to windstorms, but exhibit a similar response to other types of disasters; and low-income countries responds more strongly to climatic disasters, mainly because of their higher response to droughts. However, a country's level of external debt has no relation to the output impact of any type of disaster. The evidence also indicates that, historically, aid flows have done little to attenuate the output consequences of climatic disasters.

Cross-Country Causes and Consequences of the 2008 Crisis: International Linkages and American Exposure

Abstract: This paper models the causes of the 2008 financial crisis together with its manifestations, using a Multiple Indicator Multiple Cause (MIMIC) model Our analysis is conducted on a cross-section of 85 countries; we focus on international linkages that may have allowed the crisis to spread across countries Our model of the cross-country incidence of the crisis combines 2008 changes in real GDP, the stock market, country credit ratings, and the exchange rate We explore the linkages between these manifestations of the crisis and a number of its possible causes from 2006 and earlier The causes we consider are both national (such as equity market run-ups that preceded the crisis) and, critically, international financial and real linkages between countries and the epicenter of the crisis We consider the United States to be the most natural origin of the 2008 crisis, though we also consider six alternative sources of the crisis A country holding American securities that deteriorate in value is exposed to an American crisis through a financial channel Similarly, a country which exports to the United States is exposed to an American downturn through a real channel Despite the fact that we use a wide number of possible causes in a flexible statistical framework, we are unable to find strong evidence that international linkages can be clearly associated with the incidence of the crisis In particular, countries heavily exposed to either American assets or trade seem to behave little differently than other countries; if anything, countries seem to have benefited slightly from American exposure

Assessing the macroeconomic impacts of natural disasters : are there any ?

Abstract: There is an ongoing debate on whether disasters cause significant macroeconomic impacts and are truly a potential impediment to economic development. This paper aims to assess whether and by what mechanisms disasters have the potential to cause significant GDP impacts. The analysis first studies the counterfactual versus the observed gross domestic product. Second, the analysis assesses disaster impacts as a function of hazard, exposure of assets, and, importantly, vulnerability. In a medium-term analysis (up to 5 years after the disaster event), comparing counterfactual with observed gross domestic product, the authors find that natural disasters on average can lead to negative consequences. Although the negative effects may be small, they can become more pronounced depending mainly on the size of the shock. Furthermore, the authors test a large number of vulnerability predictors and find that greater aid and inflows of remittances reduce adverse macroeconomic consequences, and that direct losses appear most critical.

Cross-Country Causes and Consequences of the 2008 Crisis: Early Warning

Abstract: This paper models the causes of the 2008 financial crisis together with its manifestations, using a Multiple Indicator Multiple Cause (MIMIC) model. Our analysis is conducted on a cross-section of 107 countries; we focus on national causes and consequences of the crisis, ignoring cross-country contagion effects. Our model of the incidence of the crisis combines 2008 changes in real GDP, the stock market, country credit ratings, and the exchange rate. We explore the linkages between these manifestations of the crisis and a number of its possible causes from 2006 and earlier. We include over sixty potential causes of the crisis, covering such categories as: financial system policies and conditions; asset price appreciation in real estate and equity markets; international imbalances and foreign reserve adequacy; macroeconomic policies; and institutional and geographic features. Despite the fact that we use a wide number of possible causes in a flexible statistical framework, we are unable to link most of the commonly-cited causes of the crisis to its incidence across countries. This negative finding in the cross-section makes us skeptical of the accuracy of early warning systems of potential crises, which must also predict their timing.

Impact of Oil Price Shock and Exchange Rate Volatility on Economic Growth in Nigeria: An Empirical Investigation

Abstract: This paper seeks to assess the impact of oil price shock and real exchange rate volatility on real economic growth in Nigeria on the basis of quarterly data from 1986Q1 to 2007Q4. The empirical analysis starts by analyzing the time series properties of the data which is followed by examining the nature of causality among the variables. Furthermore, the Johansen VAR-based cointegration technique is applied to examine the sensitivity of real economic growth to changes in oil prices and real exchange rate volatility in the long-run while the short run dynamics was checked using a vector error correction model. Results from ADF and PP tests show evidence of unit root in the data and Granger pairwise causality test revealed unidirectional causality from oil prices to real GDP and bidirectional causality from real exchange rate to real GDP and vice versa. Findings further show that oil price shock and appreciation in the level of exchange rate exert positive impact on real economic growth in Nigeria. The paper recommends greater diversification of the economy through investment in key productive sectors of the economy to guard against the vicissitude of oil price shock and exchange rate volatility.

Trade and the Diffusion of the Industrial Revolution

Abstract: This paper proposes a model to describe the evolution of real gross domestic product (GDP) in the world economy that is intended to apply to all open economies. The parameters of the model are calibrated using evidence from Sachs and Warner on economies classed as open, from Parente and Prescott on economies that have successfully begun to develop, and from Kuznets and the World Bank on the employment share of agriculture in various times and places. The theory predicts convergence of the income levels and growth rates in the open economies and has strong but reasonable implications for transition dynamics. (JEL F41, O33, O47)

The Trade Response to Global Downturns : Historical Evidence

Abstract: The author examines the impact of historical global downturns on trade flows. The results provide insight into why trade has dropped so dramatically in the current crisis, what is likely to happen in the coming years, how global imbalances are affected, and which regions and industries suffer most heavily. The author finds that the elasticity of global trade volumes to real world GDP has increased gradually from around 2 in the 1960s to above 3 now. The author also finds that trade is more responsive to GDP during global downturns than in tranquil times. The results suggest that the overall drop in real trade this year is likely to exceed 15 percent. There is significant variation across industries, with food and beverages the least affected and crude materials and fuels the most affected. On the positive side, trade tends to rebound very rapidly when the outlook brightens. The author also finds evidence that global downturns often lead to persistent improvements in the ratio of the trade balance to GDP in borrower countries.

Oil Exports and the Iranian Economy

Abstract: This paper develops a long run growth model for a major oil exporting economy and derives conditions under which oil revenues are likely to have a lasting impact. This approach contrasts with the standard literature on the "Dutch disease" and the "resource curse," which primarily focus on short run implications of a temporary resource discovery. Under certain regularity conditions and assuming a Cobb Douglas production function, it is shown that (log) oil exports enter the long run output equation with a coefficient equal to the share of capital. The long run theory is tested using a new quarterly data set on the Iranian economy over the period 1979Q1-2006Q4. Building an error correction specification in real output, real money balances, inflation, real exchange rate, oil exports, and foreign real output, the paper finds clear evidence for two long run relations: an output equation as predicted by the theory and a standard real money demand equation with inflation acting as a proxy for the (missing) market interest rate. Real output in the long run is shaped by oil exports through their impact on capital accumulation, and the foreign output as the main channel of technological transfer. The results also show a significant negative long run association between inflation and real GDP, which is suggestive of economic inefficiencies. Once the effects of oil exports are taken into account, the estimates support output growth convergence between Iran and the rest of the world. We also find that the Iranian economy adjusts quite quickly to the shocks in foreign output and oil exports, which could be partly due to the relatively underdeveloped nature of Iran's financial markets. Finally, we consider the experience of other major oil exporting economies and show that the long-run output equation derived in the paper applies equally to Saudi Arabia and Norway, two oil exporters with very different development experiences and political systems.

Islamic Banking and Economic Growth: Empirical Evidence from Malaysia

Abstract: This paper examines the dynamic interactions between Islamic banking and economic growth of Malaysia by employing the Cointegration test and Vector Error Model (VECM) to see whether the financial system influences growth and growth transforms the operation of the financial system in the long-run. We use time series data of total Islamic bank financing (IBFinancing) and real GDP per capita (RGDP), fixed investment (GFCF), and trade activities (TRADE) to represent real economic sectors. We found that in the short-run only fixed investment that granger cause Islamic bank to develop for 1997:1-2005:4. Where as in the long-run, there is evidence of a bidirectional relationship between Islamic bank and fixed investment and there is evidence to support ‗demand following‘ hypothesis of GDP and Islamic bank, where increase in GDP causes Islamic banking to develop and not vice versa.

Is the Great Moderation over? an Empirical Analysis

Abstract: (ProQuest: ... denotes formulae omitted.)The economy of the United States was markedly less volatile in the past two to three decades than in prior periods. The nation enjoyed long economic expansions in each of the last three decades, interrupted by recessions in 1990-91 and 2001 that were mild by historical standards. While it has proven difficult to conclusively pinpoint the causes of the reduced volatility, candidates include structural changes in the economy, better monetary policy, and smaller shocks (good luck). Many economists and policymakers came to view lower volatility - the Great Moderation - as likely to be permanent.More recently, the severity of the recession that started in late 2007 has led some observers to conclude the Great Moderation is over. The recession produced declines in economic activity steeper than in the sharp recessions of the 1950s, 1970s, and early 1980s.However, the occurrence of a sharp recession does not necessarily mean variability has returned to pre-Great Moderation levels or that the Great Moderation is over. For example, the recession may have produced a more modest rise in volatility that could be temporary. Whether any rise in volatility is more likely temporary than permanent will depend on the cause of the rise in volatility. An increase in volatility due to structural changes in the economy or monetary policy might be permanent. But an increase in volatility driven by larger shocks might prove temporary. This article conducts a detailed statistical analysis of the putative rise ?? volatility and its sources to assess whether the Great Moderation is over. The article concludes that, over time, macroeconomic volatility will likely undergo occasional shifts between high and low levels, with low volatility the norm.The first section of the article shows that macroeconomic volatility has risen significantly in recent quarters, reversing much of the Great Moderation. However, compared to the Great Moderation, the recent rise in volatility was not as widespread across sectors of the economy. The second section examines potential causes of the rise in the volatility of the U.S. economy, focusing on shocks to oil prices, the housing sector, and financial markets. Based on estimates from a small macroeconomic model, most of the rise in macroeconomic variability can be attributed to larger shocks to oil prices and financial markets. Together, the narrower breadth of the rise in volatility and the evident role of larger shocks to oil prices and financial markets point to bad luck as the general explanation for the recent rise in volatility. The third section considers the implications for the permanence of the Great Moderation and the future volatility of the economy.I. EVIDENCE OF INCREASED VOLATILITYMany studies have now documented the Great Moderation (e.g., Blanchard and Simon, Kim and Nelson, McConnell and Perez-Quiros, and Stock and Watson 2002, 2003). During the Great Moderation, growth rates of real GDP were sharply less variable than in the 1960s and 1970s (Chart 1).' From 1960 through the early 1980s, the United States experienced quarterly GDP growth rates as high as 15 percent and as low as -8 percent. Starting in 1 984, the variability of GDP growth was much lower, as swings in growth became much more muted (Kim and Nelson, McConnell and Perez-Quiros, and Stock and Watson 2002, 2003).More recently, though, the recession has produced sharp declines in GDP growth reminiscent of the 1960s and 1970s (Chart 1). Growth plummeted to roughly -6 percent in each of 2008:Q4 and 2009:Q1. These changes in GDP growth suggest a rise in volatility back toward the level that prevailed prior to the Great Moderation.While Chart 1 suggests an increase in volatility, it does not quantify the magnitude of the change, or the precise timing. For a more formal assessment, this section follows Stock and Watson 2002, 2003) in estimating statistical models that allow volatility to vary over time. …

Government Spending Is no Free Lunch

Abstract: To think about what this means, first assume that the multiplier was 1.0. In this case, an increase by one unit in government purchases and, thereby, in the aggregate demand for goods would lead to an increase by one unit in real gross domestic product (GDP). Thus, the added public goods are essentially free to society. If the government buys another airplane or bridge, the economy's total output expands by enough to create the airplane or bridge without requiring a cut in anyone's consumption or investment.

Remittances in Asia: Implications for the fight against poverty and the pursuit of economic growth.

Abstract: This study examines the potential of remittances for promoting economic growth and reducing poverty in Asian countries using data for more than 20 countries in the region for 1988-2007. The results indicate that remittances positively affect home country real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita growth. A 10% increase in remittances as a share of GDP leads to a 0.9-1.2% increase in GDP growth. The findings also show that remittances only have a negligible effect on the overall poverty rate, but they tend to decrease the poverty gap and thereby ameliorate the depth of poverty. The estimates suggest that a 10% increase in remittances decreases the poverty gap by about 0.7-1.4%. The paper also explores the robustness of the key results by using 5-year average data and addresses potential endogeneity issues through instrumental variable estimation.

Causality between Economic Growth and Tourism Expansion: Empirical Evidence from Trentino-Alto Adige

Abstract: This short paper investigates the causal relations between tourism growth, relative prices and economic expansion for the Trentino-Alto Adige/Sidtirol, a region of northeast Italy bordering on Switzerland and Austria. Johansen cointegration analysis shows the existence of one cointegrated vector among real GDP, tourism and relative prices where the corresponding elasticities are positive. Tourism and relative prices are weakly exogenous to real GDP. A variation of the Granger Causality test developed by Toda and Yamamoto is performed to reveal the uni-directional causality from tourism to real GDP. Therefore the tourism-led growth hypothesis is supported empirically in this case. Impulse response analysis shows that a shock in tourism expenditure produces a fast positive effect on growth.

Credit Spreads and Real Activity

Abstract: This paper explores the transmission of credit conditions into the real economy. Specifically, I examine the forecasting power of the term structure of credit spreads for future GDP growth. I find that the whole term structure of credit spreads has predictive power, while the term structure of Treasury yields has none. Using a parsimonious macro-finance term structure model that captures the joint dynamics of GDP, inflation, Treasury yields and credit spreads, I decompose the spreads and identify the drivers of this transmission effect. I show that there is a pure credit component orthogonal to macroeconomic information that accounts for a large part of the forecasting power of credit spreads. The macro factors themselves also contribute to the predictive power, especially for long maturity spreads. Additional factors affecting Treasury yields and credit spreads are irrelevant for predicting future economic activity. The credit factor is highly correlated with the index of tighter loan standards, thus lending support to the existence of a transmission channel from borrowing conditions to the economy. Using data from 2006-2008, I capture the ongoing crisis, during which credit conditions have heavily tightened and I show that the model provides reasonably accurate out-of-sample predictions for this period. As of year-end 2008, the model predicts a contraction of -2% in real GDP growth for 2009, which is lower than comparable survey forecasts.

The Tourism-led Growth Hypothesis: Empirical Evidence from Colombia

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to investigate the contribution of tourism to economic growth in Colombia. First, we perform an ex-post analysis and quantify the contribution of the tourism to economic growth from the early 90’s until 2006 by disaggregating growth of real GDP per capita into economic growth generated by tourism and by other industries. Second, we analyze if international tourism is a strategic factor for long-run economic growth for Colombia. This believes that tourism can cause long-run economic growth it is known in the literature as the tourism-led growth hypothesis. The hypothesis is tested empirically by using the cointegration test by Johansen and the Granger Causality test. We find empirical evidence for one cointegrated vector among real GDP per capita, Colombian tourism expenditures and real exchange rates, where the latter two variables are weakly exogenous to the model. The Granger causality test suggests that causality in this model goes from tourism expenditures to real GDP per capita.

Asset-Price Boom-Bust Cycles and Credit: What is the Scope of Macro-Prudential Regulation?

Abstract: Over the recent months, several initiatives have taken place to develop macro-prudential regulation in order to prevent systemic risk and the built-up of financial imbalances. Crucial to the success of such policy is the ability of the macro-prudential authority to identify in due time such imbalances, generally featured by asset-price boom-bust cycles. In this paper, we investigate the possibility of detecting asset-price booms according to alternative identification strategies and assess their robustness. We infer the probability that an asset-price boom turns into an asset-price bust. In addition, we try to disentangle costless or low-cost from costly asset-price booms. We find some evidence that house price booms are more likely to turn into costly recession than stock price booms. Resorting both to a non-parametric approach and a discrete-choice (logit) model, we analyze the ability of a set of indicators to robustly explain costly asset-price booms. According to our results, real long-term interest rates, total investment, real credit and real stock prices tend to increase the probability of a costly housing-price boom, whereas real GDP and house prices tend to increase the probability of a costly stock-price boom. Regarding the latter, credit variables tend to play a less convincing role. From this perspective, we specify the scope of macro-prudential regulation as a set of tools aiming at avoiding "costly" asset-price booms. In doing so, we try both to make the case for state-contingent macro-prudential regulations and to set out clear delineation between monetary and financial stability objectives.

Constraints to growth in Malawi

Abstract: This paper applies a growth diagnostics approach to identify the most binding constraints to private-sector growth in Malawi - a small, landlocked country in Southern Africa with one of the lowest per capita incomes in the world. The approach aims to identify the constraints (in terms of public policy, implementation, and investments) most binding on marginal investment, and therefore whose relaxation would have the largest impact on growth through the investment channel. The authors find that growth in Malawi has been primarily driven by the domestic multiplier effect from export revenues. The multiplier effect is particularly pronounced due to the high number of smallholder farmers, which produce Malawi’s main export crop, tobacco, and consequently results in the widespread and rapid transmission of agricultural export income. Furthermore, despite changes in the structure of agricultural production from estate to smallholder farming and liberalization of prices and finance, a longstanding relationship persists between exports in real domestic currency and overall gross domestic product. This central role of exports in creating domestic demand highlights the importance of the real exchange rate in Malawi’s growth story, which directly increases the strength of the export multiplier. The most pressing constraint to growth in Malawi continues to be the regime of exchange rate management. Despite good progress, there is compelling evidence that the rate is still substantially overvalued. Furthermore, it is also likely that the inflow of foreign aid - in excess of 50 percent of exports -contributes to the overvaluation through its large component of recurrent expenditures.