The Relationship between the Government Size and Economic Growth in South Sumatra

In general, many factors, including government spending, influence economic growth. In many theoretical and empirical studies, government spending is seen from the ratio between government spending and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or government size. This research aims to examine the influence of government size on economic growth in districts/cities of South Sumatra Province. The government size to be analyzed is the amount of government spending on public services, housing and public facilities, education, and health. The data used in this study is secondary data for the 2010-2020 and covers 15 regencies/cities. The data was obtained from the Central Statistics Agency and the Regional Financial and Asset Management Agency. The analytical technique used in this research is descriptive analysis technique and quantitative analysis. Klassen Typology Approach was used to identify the regencies/cities with fast growth and the relatively lagging regencies/cities of South Sumatra Province. The study results show that government spending on public services and health has a positive and significant effect on economic growth. Meanwhile, the government spending on housing and public facilities has a positive and insignificant effect. In contrast, the government spending on education has a negative and significant impact on economic growth. This study recommends local governments increase the allocation of regional expenditure to sectors that lead to economic growth, especially in newly created regions.