Government Size and Economic Growth in Vietnam: A Panel Analysis

Abstract

The effect of government relative size on economic growth is a contentious issue. This paper is undertaken to test the relationship between government size and economic growth in Vietnam. The study is a panel data investigation, involving 60 provinces over the period 1997–2012. Various measures of government size are defined: provincial government expenditure as a share of gross provincial product (GPP), provincial government revenue as a share of GPP, real provincial government expenditure per capita, and real provincial government revenue per capita. Empirical estimates are employed by conducting Difference Generalized Method of Moments method proposed by Arellano and Bond (1991) and Pooled Mean-Group method by Pesaran, et al. (1999). These tests reveal: (i) provincial government expenditure (revenue) as a share of GPP has a significantly negative effect on economic growth; and (ii) the real government expenditure (revenue) per capita has a significantly positive effect on economic growth. It is also found that the long-run and short-run coefficients of government expenditure size are significant and negative, that the correction mechanism from the short run disequilibrium to the long run equilibrium is not convergent, and that government employment has a negative correlation with economic growth.