The Role of Social and Physical Infrastructure Spending in Tradable and Non-Tradable Growth

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of social and physical infrastructure spending on the non-oil tradable and non-tradable sectors while controlling for non-oil capital stock and employment in the Azerbaijani economy for the period 1995-2014. The analysis employs the Engle-Granger and Phillips-Ouliaris cointegration tests using FMOLS estimation results to test for the existence of long-run relationships. The tests results indicate the existence of long-run relationships among the variables. The estimation results reveal positive impacts of both social and physical infrastructure spending on non-oil tradable and non-tradable outputs. However, the impacts on the non-tradable sector are considerably larger than those on the non-oil tradable sector. Developing the non-resource tradable sector, and thereby reducing possibility of the “Resource Curse” and especially the Dutch Disease, is one of the strategic aims of natural resource-rich countries. In this regard, the findings of this research may be useful for Azerbaijani policymakers in taking measures that aim at fostering the development of the non-oil tradable sector, thereby avoiding possible negative outcomes of resource dependency such as the Dutch Disease.

Keywords: Social Expenditures; Infrastructure Expenditures; Non-Oil Tradable Sector; Non-Tradable Sector; Dutch Disease; Azerbaijan

JEL Classification: H5; O1; O2