PUBLIC finance, DECENTRALIZATION in government, ECONOMIC development, FINANCE
Abstract
Copyright of African Development Review / Revue Africaine de Développement is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PUBLIC debts, ECONOMIC development, ECONOMIC forecasting, PUBLIC finance, GRANGER causality test
Abstract
This study uses Johansen cointegration and the vector error correction model to examine the long-term and causal relationship between public debt and economic growth in Ghana. Annual time series data were gathered from the World Bank Development Indicators and IMF Economic outlook data from 1970 to 2012. The findings from the study reveal a positive and statistically significant long-run relationship between public debt and economic growth. Also, in the short run a bidirectional Granger causality link exists between public debt and economic growth. The study recommends that Ghana should acquire public debt for very high priority projects and programs that are well appraised and self-sustained that could contribute positively to economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]