The Causal Relationship Between Government Revenue and Expenditure in Namibia

The relationship between government revenue and government expenditure is important, given its relevance for policy especially with respect to the budget deficit. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between government revenue and government expenditure in Namibia. It investigates the causal relationship between government revenue and government expenditure using Granger causality test through cointegrated vector autoregression (VAR) methods for the period the period 1977 to 2007. The paper tests whether government revenue causes government expenditure or whether the causality runs from government expenditure to government revenue, and if there is bi-directional causality. The results show that there is unidirectional causality from government revenue to government expenditure. This suggests unsustainable fiscal imbalances (deficit) can be mitigated by policies that stimulate government revenue

The Causal Relationship Between Government Revenue and Expenditure in Namibia

The relationship between government revenue and government expenditure is important, given its relevance for policy especially with respect to the budget deficit. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between government revenue and government expenditure in Namibia. It investigates the causal relationship between government revenue and government expenditure using Granger causality test through cointegrated vector autoregression (VAR) methods for the period the period 1977 to 2007. The paper tests whether government revenue causes government expenditure or whether the causality runs from government expenditure to government revenue, and if there is bi-directional causality. The results show that there is unidirectional causality from government revenue to government expenditure. This suggests unsustainable fiscal imbalances (deficit) can be mitigated by policies that stimulate government revenue

Effects of Government Expenditure on Foreign Exchange Reserves: Evidence for Namibia

The study empirically investigated the effects of government expenditure on FX reserves in Namibia. Using quarterly data, the study applied the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) cointegration technique to examine the relationship between FX reserves and government expenditure, the exchange rate, external borrowing, current account balance and M2 over the period ranging from 2002 to 2020. The results show that an increase in government expenditure reduces FX reserves. Furthermore, increase in foreign debt, current account balance and M2 increases the level of FX reserves, while an appreciation of the effective exchange rate reduces FX reserves. The study, therefore, concludes that high government expenditure and increase in foreign borrowing impacts FX reserves. These findings suggest that developments in government expenditure may hinder monetary policy effectiveness.  Based on these findings, the study recommends the continuation of fiscal consolidation to reduce fiscal deficits and government debt. Similarly, it is important to ensure macroeconomic balance and appropriate coordination between fiscal and monetary policies