Macroeconomic Policy : Does It Matter for Growth? The Role of Volatility

Recent academic research has questioned the role of economic policy as a determinant of long term growth rates. While there seems to be a correlation between several policy variables and growth rates, this correlation disappears when controlling fo...

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Main Authors: Fatas, Antonio, Mihov, Ilian
Format: Working Paper
Language:English
en_US
Published: World Bank, Washington, DC 2017
Subjects:
GDP
TAX
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/109371468328586374/Macroeconomic-policy-does-it-matter-for-growth-The-role-of-volatility
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/28025
id okr-10986-28025
recordtype oai_dc
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language English
en_US
topic ABSOLUTE VALUE
AGGREGATE LEVEL
AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW
AVERAGE GROWTH
BUDGET DEFICITS
BUSINESS CYCLE
BUSINESS CYCLES
CASE STUDIES
CENTRAL BANK
CENTRAL BANKS
COUNTRY CASE
CREDIT CONSTRAINTS
CROSS COUNTRY
DATA AVAILABILITY
DEMOCRACY
DEPENDENT VARIABLE
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
DEVELOPMENT PRACTITIONERS
DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH
DISCRETIONARY FISCAL POLICY
ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ECONOMIC FLUCTUATIONS
ECONOMIC GROWTH
ECONOMIC MANAGEMENT
ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE
ECONOMIC POWER
ECONOMIC RESEARCH
ECONOMIC STABILITY
ECONOMIC STUDIES
EFFECTS OF VOLATILITY
EMERGING MARKET
EMERGING MARKET BUSINESS
EMERGING MARKETS
EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE
EMPIRICAL LITERATURE
EMPIRICAL RESULTS
EMPIRICAL WORK
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
EXCHANGE RATE POLICY
EXCHANGE RATES
EXPLANATORY VARIABLES
EXPORT DIVERSIFICATION
EXTERNAL SHOCKS
FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT
FISCAL POLICIES
FISCAL POLICY
FUTURE RESEARCH
GDP
GDP DEFLATOR
GDP PER CAPITA
GOVERNMENT CONSUMPTION
GOVERNMENT DEBT
GOVERNMENT SPENDING
GROWTH EFFECTS
GROWTH LITERATURE
GROWTH MODEL
GROWTH MODELS
GROWTH PERFORMANCE
GROWTH RATE
GROWTH RATES
GROWTH REGRESSIONS
GROWTH THEORY
HIGH INFLATION
HIGH VOLATILITY
HIGHER VOLATILITY
HUMAN CAPITAL
INCOME
INCOMPLETE MARKETS
INDUSTRIAL ECONOMIES
INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES
INFLATION
INFLATION RATES
INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT
INSTRUMENTAL VARIABLES
INTEREST RATE
INTEREST RATES
INTERNATIONAL FINANCE
LABOR SUPPLY
LIBERALIZATION
LINK BETWEEN VOLATILITY
LIQUIDITY
LONG-TERM GROWTH
LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES
MACROECONOMIC MODELS
MACROECONOMIC OUTCOMES
MACROECONOMIC PERFORMANCE
MACROECONOMIC POLICIES
MACROECONOMIC POLICY
MACROECONOMIC STABILIZATION
MACROECONOMIC VOLATILITY
MACROECONOMICS
MARGINAL EFFECT
MEAN INCOME
MEASURE OF VOLATILITY
MONETARY ECONOMICS
MONETARY POLICY
NATURAL RATE OF UNEMPLOYMENT
NATURAL RESOURCES
NEGATIVE EFFECT
NEGATIVE IMPACT
NEOCLASSICAL MODELS
OUTPUT
OUTPUT GAP
OUTPUT GROWTH
OUTPUT PER CAPITA
OUTPUT VOLATILITY
OVERVALUATION
POINT ESTIMATES
POLICY CHANGE
POLICY CHANGES
POLICY DETERMINANTS
POLICY IMPLICATIONS
POLICY INSTRUMENT
POLICY MAKERS
POLICY POINT OF VIEW
POLICY RESEARCH
POLICY STANCE
POLICY UNCERTAINTY
POLICY VARIABLES
POLITICAL BUSINESS CYCLE
POLITICAL ECONOMY
POLITICAL ECONOMY OF REFORM
POLITICAL INSTABILITY
POLITICAL POWER
POLITICAL SYSTEM
POOR COUNTRIES
POSITIVE EFFECTS
POVERTY REDUCTION
PRIMARY EDUCATION
PRIVATE INFRASTRUCTURE
PRIVATE INVESTMENT
PRODUCTION FUNCTION
PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH
PUBLIC DEBT
RAPID ECONOMIC GROWTH
REAL EXCHANGE RATE
REAL EXCHANGE RATES
RECESSIONS
RICH COUNTRIES
RISK NEUTRAL
RISK SHARING
SCALE EFFECTS
SIGNIFICANT EFFECT
SIGNIFICANT IMPACT
STANDARD DEVIATION
STANDARD ERRORS
TAX
TAX BASE VARIABILITY
TAX RATE
TAX RATES
TAXATION
TOTAL FACTOR PRODUCTIVITY
UTILITY FUNCTION
VOLATILE ECONOMY
VOLATILITY
VOLATILITY OF INFLATION
spellingShingle ABSOLUTE VALUE
AGGREGATE LEVEL
AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW
AVERAGE GROWTH
BUDGET DEFICITS
BUSINESS CYCLE
BUSINESS CYCLES
CASE STUDIES
CENTRAL BANK
CENTRAL BANKS
COUNTRY CASE
CREDIT CONSTRAINTS
CROSS COUNTRY
DATA AVAILABILITY
DEMOCRACY
DEPENDENT VARIABLE
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
DEVELOPMENT PRACTITIONERS
DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH
DISCRETIONARY FISCAL POLICY
ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ECONOMIC FLUCTUATIONS
ECONOMIC GROWTH
ECONOMIC MANAGEMENT
ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE
ECONOMIC POWER
ECONOMIC RESEARCH
ECONOMIC STABILITY
ECONOMIC STUDIES
EFFECTS OF VOLATILITY
EMERGING MARKET
EMERGING MARKET BUSINESS
EMERGING MARKETS
EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE
EMPIRICAL LITERATURE
EMPIRICAL RESULTS
EMPIRICAL WORK
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
EXCHANGE RATE POLICY
EXCHANGE RATES
EXPLANATORY VARIABLES
EXPORT DIVERSIFICATION
EXTERNAL SHOCKS
FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT
FISCAL POLICIES
FISCAL POLICY
FUTURE RESEARCH
GDP
GDP DEFLATOR
GDP PER CAPITA
GOVERNMENT CONSUMPTION
GOVERNMENT DEBT
GOVERNMENT SPENDING
GROWTH EFFECTS
GROWTH LITERATURE
GROWTH MODEL
GROWTH MODELS
GROWTH PERFORMANCE
GROWTH RATE
GROWTH RATES
GROWTH REGRESSIONS
GROWTH THEORY
HIGH INFLATION
HIGH VOLATILITY
HIGHER VOLATILITY
HUMAN CAPITAL
INCOME
INCOMPLETE MARKETS
INDUSTRIAL ECONOMIES
INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES
INFLATION
INFLATION RATES
INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT
INSTRUMENTAL VARIABLES
INTEREST RATE
INTEREST RATES
INTERNATIONAL FINANCE
LABOR SUPPLY
LIBERALIZATION
LINK BETWEEN VOLATILITY
LIQUIDITY
LONG-TERM GROWTH
LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES
MACROECONOMIC MODELS
MACROECONOMIC OUTCOMES
MACROECONOMIC PERFORMANCE
MACROECONOMIC POLICIES
MACROECONOMIC POLICY
MACROECONOMIC STABILIZATION
MACROECONOMIC VOLATILITY
MACROECONOMICS
MARGINAL EFFECT
MEAN INCOME
MEASURE OF VOLATILITY
MONETARY ECONOMICS
MONETARY POLICY
NATURAL RATE OF UNEMPLOYMENT
NATURAL RESOURCES
NEGATIVE EFFECT
NEGATIVE IMPACT
NEOCLASSICAL MODELS
OUTPUT
OUTPUT GAP
OUTPUT GROWTH
OUTPUT PER CAPITA
OUTPUT VOLATILITY
OVERVALUATION
POINT ESTIMATES
POLICY CHANGE
POLICY CHANGES
POLICY DETERMINANTS
POLICY IMPLICATIONS
POLICY INSTRUMENT
POLICY MAKERS
POLICY POINT OF VIEW
POLICY RESEARCH
POLICY STANCE
POLICY UNCERTAINTY
POLICY VARIABLES
POLITICAL BUSINESS CYCLE
POLITICAL ECONOMY
POLITICAL ECONOMY OF REFORM
POLITICAL INSTABILITY
POLITICAL POWER
POLITICAL SYSTEM
POOR COUNTRIES
POSITIVE EFFECTS
POVERTY REDUCTION
PRIMARY EDUCATION
PRIVATE INFRASTRUCTURE
PRIVATE INVESTMENT
PRODUCTION FUNCTION
PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH
PUBLIC DEBT
RAPID ECONOMIC GROWTH
REAL EXCHANGE RATE
REAL EXCHANGE RATES
RECESSIONS
RICH COUNTRIES
RISK NEUTRAL
RISK SHARING
SCALE EFFECTS
SIGNIFICANT EFFECT
SIGNIFICANT IMPACT
STANDARD DEVIATION
STANDARD ERRORS
TAX
TAX BASE VARIABILITY
TAX RATE
TAX RATES
TAXATION
TOTAL FACTOR PRODUCTIVITY
UTILITY FUNCTION
VOLATILE ECONOMY
VOLATILITY
VOLATILITY OF INFLATION
Fatas, Antonio
Mihov, Ilian
Macroeconomic Policy : Does It Matter for Growth? The Role of Volatility
relation Commission on Growth and Development Working Paper;No. 48
description Recent academic research has questioned the role of economic policy as a determinant of long term growth rates. While there seems to be a correlation between several policy variables and growth rates, this correlation disappears when controlling for other factors. As an example, the significance of key economic policy variables such as inflation or government size disappears if we account for the quality of institutions. This paper looks at recent empirical research that questions the conclusion that macroeconomic policy does not matter for growth. By looking at the volatility of economic policy (whether it is fiscal policy or exchange rates), the authors find that policy is still a relevant and robust explanatory variable of cross country differences in economic growth. These results have strong policy implications. Improvements in the conduct of macroeconomic policy can have beneficial growth effects even if institutional reforms are not taking place. These results do not deny the importance of institutional reforms. By setting the right institutions one can ensure the proper conduct of macroeconomic policy without having to rely on the 'quality' of the decision maker.
format Working Paper
author Fatas, Antonio
Mihov, Ilian
author_facet Fatas, Antonio
Mihov, Ilian
author_sort Fatas, Antonio
title Macroeconomic Policy : Does It Matter for Growth? The Role of Volatility
title_short Macroeconomic Policy : Does It Matter for Growth? The Role of Volatility
title_full Macroeconomic Policy : Does It Matter for Growth? The Role of Volatility
title_fullStr Macroeconomic Policy : Does It Matter for Growth? The Role of Volatility
title_full_unstemmed Macroeconomic Policy : Does It Matter for Growth? The Role of Volatility
title_sort macroeconomic policy : does it matter for growth? the role of volatility
publisher World Bank, Washington, DC
publishDate 2017
url http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/109371468328586374/Macroeconomic-policy-does-it-matter-for-growth-The-role-of-volatility
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/28025
_version_ 1764465566821646336
spelling okr-10986-280252021-04-23T14:04:45Z Macroeconomic Policy : Does It Matter for Growth? The Role of Volatility Fatas, Antonio Mihov, Ilian ABSOLUTE VALUE AGGREGATE LEVEL AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW AVERAGE GROWTH BUDGET DEFICITS BUSINESS CYCLE BUSINESS CYCLES CASE STUDIES CENTRAL BANK CENTRAL BANKS COUNTRY CASE CREDIT CONSTRAINTS CROSS COUNTRY DATA AVAILABILITY DEMOCRACY DEPENDENT VARIABLE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS DEVELOPMENT PRACTITIONERS DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH DISCRETIONARY FISCAL POLICY ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS ECONOMIC ACTIVITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ECONOMIC FLUCTUATIONS ECONOMIC GROWTH ECONOMIC MANAGEMENT ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE ECONOMIC POWER ECONOMIC RESEARCH ECONOMIC STABILITY ECONOMIC STUDIES EFFECTS OF VOLATILITY EMERGING MARKET EMERGING MARKET BUSINESS EMERGING MARKETS EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE EMPIRICAL LITERATURE EMPIRICAL RESULTS EMPIRICAL WORK ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS EXCHANGE RATE POLICY EXCHANGE RATES EXPLANATORY VARIABLES EXPORT DIVERSIFICATION EXTERNAL SHOCKS FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT FISCAL POLICIES FISCAL POLICY FUTURE RESEARCH GDP GDP DEFLATOR GDP PER CAPITA GOVERNMENT CONSUMPTION GOVERNMENT DEBT GOVERNMENT SPENDING GROWTH EFFECTS GROWTH LITERATURE GROWTH MODEL GROWTH MODELS GROWTH PERFORMANCE GROWTH RATE GROWTH RATES GROWTH REGRESSIONS GROWTH THEORY HIGH INFLATION HIGH VOLATILITY HIGHER VOLATILITY HUMAN CAPITAL INCOME INCOMPLETE MARKETS INDUSTRIAL ECONOMIES INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES INFLATION INFLATION RATES INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT INSTRUMENTAL VARIABLES INTEREST RATE INTEREST RATES INTERNATIONAL FINANCE LABOR SUPPLY LIBERALIZATION LINK BETWEEN VOLATILITY LIQUIDITY LONG-TERM GROWTH LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES MACROECONOMIC MODELS MACROECONOMIC OUTCOMES MACROECONOMIC PERFORMANCE MACROECONOMIC POLICIES MACROECONOMIC POLICY MACROECONOMIC STABILIZATION MACROECONOMIC VOLATILITY MACROECONOMICS MARGINAL EFFECT MEAN INCOME MEASURE OF VOLATILITY MONETARY ECONOMICS MONETARY POLICY NATURAL RATE OF UNEMPLOYMENT NATURAL RESOURCES NEGATIVE EFFECT NEGATIVE IMPACT NEOCLASSICAL MODELS OUTPUT OUTPUT GAP OUTPUT GROWTH OUTPUT PER CAPITA OUTPUT VOLATILITY OVERVALUATION POINT ESTIMATES POLICY CHANGE POLICY CHANGES POLICY DETERMINANTS POLICY IMPLICATIONS POLICY INSTRUMENT POLICY MAKERS POLICY POINT OF VIEW POLICY RESEARCH POLICY STANCE POLICY UNCERTAINTY POLICY VARIABLES POLITICAL BUSINESS CYCLE POLITICAL ECONOMY POLITICAL ECONOMY OF REFORM POLITICAL INSTABILITY POLITICAL POWER POLITICAL SYSTEM POOR COUNTRIES POSITIVE EFFECTS POVERTY REDUCTION PRIMARY EDUCATION PRIVATE INFRASTRUCTURE PRIVATE INVESTMENT PRODUCTION FUNCTION PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH PUBLIC DEBT RAPID ECONOMIC GROWTH REAL EXCHANGE RATE REAL EXCHANGE RATES RECESSIONS RICH COUNTRIES RISK NEUTRAL RISK SHARING SCALE EFFECTS SIGNIFICANT EFFECT SIGNIFICANT IMPACT STANDARD DEVIATION STANDARD ERRORS TAX TAX BASE VARIABILITY TAX RATE TAX RATES TAXATION TOTAL FACTOR PRODUCTIVITY UTILITY FUNCTION VOLATILE ECONOMY VOLATILITY VOLATILITY OF INFLATION Recent academic research has questioned the role of economic policy as a determinant of long term growth rates. While there seems to be a correlation between several policy variables and growth rates, this correlation disappears when controlling for other factors. As an example, the significance of key economic policy variables such as inflation or government size disappears if we account for the quality of institutions. This paper looks at recent empirical research that questions the conclusion that macroeconomic policy does not matter for growth. By looking at the volatility of economic policy (whether it is fiscal policy or exchange rates), the authors find that policy is still a relevant and robust explanatory variable of cross country differences in economic growth. These results have strong policy implications. Improvements in the conduct of macroeconomic policy can have beneficial growth effects even if institutional reforms are not taking place. These results do not deny the importance of institutional reforms. By setting the right institutions one can ensure the proper conduct of macroeconomic policy without having to rely on the 'quality' of the decision maker. 2017-08-28T19:13:30Z 2017-08-28T19:13:30Z 2009 Working Paper http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/109371468328586374/Macroeconomic-policy-does-it-matter-for-growth-The-role-of-volatility http://hdl.handle.net/10986/28025 English en_US Commission on Growth and Development Working Paper;No. 48 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo World Bank World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research Publications & Research :: Working Paper