A validation of Wagner's Law: A case study of Sri Lanka

Abstract

This study provides evidence on the validity of Wagner's Law on the impact of government spending on economic growth in Sri Lanka. To test for stationarity, we use the Narayan and Popp's (2010) new Perron-type innovational unit root test; and to test for the long-run relationship, the study uses Hatemi's (2008) co-integration method. This study finds that a long-run relationship exists between GDP, consumption and investment expenditure. Various policy implications have also emerged from these findings. Studies on the impact of government spending on economic growth in the case of South Asian countries, and particularly for Sri Lanka, are very limited. The study disaggregates public expenditure into its two components and uses advanced methodologies which take into account structural breaks.