Domestic Savings, Investment, and Economic Growth: an Empirical Evidence from Nepal using VEC Model
Source: By:Sudan Kumar Oli, Yuantao Xie
DOI: https://doi.org/10.30564/jesr.v4i3.3359
Abstract: This study examines the relationship between domestic savings, investment, and economic growth in Nepal by using time series data covering from the period 1975 to 2019. The vector error correction model (VECM) has been used to investigate the long-run and short-run causal relationship between the variables. The Johansen cointegration test results confirmed that there is a long-run relationship between savings, investment, and economic growth. Therefore, further analysis has to be set for the VEC model to analyze both long-run and shortrun causality. The VECM equation result is -0.1363 which is the adjustment speed of disequilibrium towards the equilibrium in long run. The coeffi cient of savings and investments are positive with economic growth which also indicates that both variables have a positive impact on economic growth in the short run. The results of the Jarque-Bera test show the residual distribution is normally distributed. For the model stability test, the study performed recursive estimation applying CUSUM and CUSUM of square, and both tests move within the 5 percent level of upper and lesser bound significance indicating that the model is stable over the observation period. Overall, the study suggests that in Nepal, domestic savings and investment growth have a positive contribution to economic growth. The central bank, planning commission, and ministry of finance should focus on stimulating the capital formation and productive sector investment for sustainable economic growth in Nepal. References:[1]Aghion, P., Comin, D., Howitt, P., and Tecu, I. (2016). When Domestic Savings Matter for Economic Growth? IMF Economic Review, 64, 382-407. [2]Aktas, A., Guner, D., Gursel, S., and Uysal, G. (2012). Structural Determinants of Household Savings in Turkey: 2003-2008. Betam Working Paper Series 007. Bahcesehir University. [3]Attanaio, O. P., Picci, L., and Scorcu, A.E. (2000). Saving, Growth, and Investment: A macroeconomic Analysis Using a Panel of Counties. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 82(2), 182-211. [4]Ball, L.M., and Mankiw, N.G. (2021). Market Power in Neoclassical Growth Models. NBER Working Paper Number 28538. 1050 MA: National Bureau of Economic Research. [5]Bittencourt, M. (2006). Financial Development and Inequality: Brazil 1985-1999. Discussion Paper number 06/582, Bristol Economics. [6]Blanchard, O. (2019). Public Debt and Low Interest Rates. The American Economic Review, 109(4), 1197-1229. [7]Boyd, J.H., Ross, L., and Bruce, S.D. (2001). The Impact of Inflation on Financial Sector Performance. Journal of Monetary Economics, 47(2), 221-248. [8]Boyreau-Debray, G. (2003). Financial intermediation and growth: Chinese style. The World Bank, Policy Research Working Paper Series 3027. [9] Central Bureau of Statistics (2011). National Populati on and Housing Census 2011. Kathmandu, Nepal: Ce ntral Bureau of Statistics. [10] Chaudhary, I. S. Malik, A., and Farooq, F. (2012). Fi nancial liberalization and macroeconomic perform ance: An empirical evidence from Pakistan. Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Sciences, 41(1), 18-30. [11] Chen, E.K.Y. (1979). Capital Inflow, Saving, and Economic Growth. Hyper growth in Asian Economies. Palgrave Macmillan, London. [12] Coibio, O., Weber, M., and Gorodnichenko, Y. (2021). Fiscal Policy and Households’ Inflation Expectations: Evidence from a Randomized Control Trial. NBER Working Paper Number 28485. 1050 MA: National Bureau of Economic Research. [13] Dhakal, S., and Oli, S.K. (2020). The impact of remittance on consumption and investment: A case of province five of Nepal. Quest Journal of Management and Social Science, 2(1), 35-49. [14] Diamond, P.A. (1965). National Debt in a Neoclassical Growth Model. The American Economic Review, 55(5), 1126-1150. [15] Engle, R.F., Granger, C. W. J. (1987). Cointegration and error correction: Representation, estimation and testing. Econometrica, 55(2), 251-276. [16] Feldstein, M., and Horioka, C. (1980). Domestic Saving and International Capital Flows. Economic Journal, 90 (1), 314-329. [17] Feldstein, M., and Bacchetta, P. (1989). National Saving and International Investment. NBER Working Paper Number 3164. 1050 MA: National Bureau of Economic Research. [18] Furman, J., and Summers, L. H. (2020). A Reconsideration of Fiscal Policy in the Era of Low Interest Rate. Working paper. [19] Garcia, V.F., and Lin, L. (1999). Macroeconomic Determinants of Stock Market Development. Journal of Applied Economic, 2910, 29-59. [20] Gujarati, D.N. (2011). Econometrics by Example. London: Palgrave Macmillan [21] Gujarati, D. N. (2013). Basic Econometrics. America: McGraw-Hill Education [22] Greenwood, J., and Jovanovic, B. (1990). Financial Development, Growth, and the Distribution of Income. Journal of Political Economy, 98(5), 1076- 1107. [23] Hemmi, N., Tabata, K., and Futagami, K. (2007). The long-term care problem, precautionary saving, and economic growth. Journal of Macroeconomics, 29(1), 60-74. [24] Howitt, P. (2000). Endogenous Growth and Cross Country Income Differences. American Economic Review, 90 (September 2000), 829-846. [25] Horica, C.Y., and Hagiwara, T. A. (2012). The determinants and long-term projections of saving rates in developing Asia. Japan and the World Economy, 24(1), 128-137. [26] Jao, T.C. (1985). Fomamcoa; Development and Economic Growth: Theory, evidence and policy. Greek Economic Review, 3(1), 231-254. [27] Johansen, S. (1988). Statistical Analysis of Cointegration Vectors. Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, 12(1), 231-254. [28] Jensen, M., and Meckling, W. (1976). Theory of the firm: Managerial behaviour, agency costs and ownership structure. Journal of Financial Economics, 3, 305-360. [29] Kelley, A., and Williamson, J. (1968). Household saving in developing countries: The Indonesian case. Economic Development and Cultural Change, 16(3), 385-403. [30] Keynes, J.M. (1936). The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money: The Classical Theory of the Rate of Interest. Cambridge: Macmillan University Press. [31] Kim, M.H. (2010). The Determinants of Personal Saving in the USA. The Journal of Applied Business Research, 26(5), 35-44. [32] King, R.G., and Levine, R. (1993). Finance and growth: Schumpeter might be right. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 108, 117-138. [33] King, R.G., and Levine, R. (1993). Finance and Growth: Schumpeter Might be Right. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 108(3), 717-737. [34] Kinuthia, I.K., and Etyang, M.N. (2014). Stock Market Liberlization, Stock Market Performance and Econoic Growth in Kenya. International Journal of Economics and Finance, 6(4), 196-2009. [35] Klein, M.W. (2005). Capital Account Liberalisation, Institutional Quality and Economic Growth: Theory and Evidence. National Bereau of Economic Research (NBER). NBER Working paper number 11112. [36] Koopmans, T.C. (1965). On the Concept of Optimal Economic Growth. The Econometric Approach to Development Planning, Amsterdam: North-Holland. [37] Krishnamurthy, K., and Saibaba, P. (1988). Determinants of saving rate in India. Indian Economic Review, 16(4), 225-249. [38] Lean, H. and Song, Y. (2009). The domestic savings and economic growth relationship in China. Journal of Chinese Economic and Foreign Trade Studies, 2(1), 5-17. [39] Levine, R. (1997). Financial Development and Economic Growth: Views and Agenda. Journal of Economic Literature, 35(2), 688-726. [40] Mahat, R. S. (2020). Trials, Tremors and Hope. New Delhi, India: Adroit Publishers. [41] Mark, L. (2004). The role of saving in economic growth when the cost of new human capital depends on the cost of labor congressional budget office, Washington DC USA. [42] Masih, R., and Peters, S. (2010). A Re-visitation of the Savings- Growth Nexus in Mexico. Economics Letters, 107 (1), 318-330. [43] Mason, A. (1988). Saving Economic Growth, and Demographic Change. Population Development Review, 14(1), 113-144. [44] McFarlane, A., Jung, Y.C. and Das, A. (2020). The dynamics among domestic saving, investment and the current account balance in the USA: a long-run perspective. Empirical Economics, 58(1), 1659-1680. [45] Modigliani, F., and Ando, A. (1963). The life cycle hypothesis of saving: aggregate implications and tests. The American Economic Review, 53(1), 55-84. [46] Mohan, R. (2006). Causal Relationship between Savings and Economic Growth in Counties with Different Income Levels. Economic Bulletin, 5(1), 1-12. [47] Naceur, S.B., Ghazouani, S., and Omran, M. (2008). Does Stock Market Liberalization Spur financial and Economic Development in the MENA region? Journal of Comparative Economics, 36(4), 673-693. [48] Najarzadeh, R., Reed, M., and Tasan, M. (2014). Relationship between Savings and Economic Growth: The Case for Iran. Journal of International Business and Economics, 2(4), 107-124. [49] Oli, S. K. (2018). Impact of Microfinance Institutions on Economic Growth of Nepal. Asian Journal of Economic Modelling, 6(2), 98-109. [50] Oli, S.K. (2018). The influence of financial literacy on a personal financial planning: A case of Nepal. Afro-Asian Journal of Economics and Finance, 1(1), 25-38. [51] Patra, S.K., Murthy, D.S., Kuruva, M.B., and Mohanty, A. (2017). Revisiting the causal nexus between savings and economic growth in India: An empirical analysis. Economia 18(3), 380-391. [52] Perry, G.L. (2001). The War on Terrorism, the World Oil Market and the US Economy. The Brookings Institution Analysis Paper Number 7. [53] Price, F., and Finlay, R. (2014). Household saving in Australia. Economic Analysis Department, Reserve Bank of Australia Research Discussion Paper 2014- 03. [54] Ramsey, F.P. (1928). A mathematical theory of saving. The Economic Journal, 31(152), 543-559. [55] Rioja, F., and Valey, N. (2004). Finance and the sources of growth at various stages of economic development. Economic Inquiry, 42, 127-140. [56] Romer, P.M. (1990). Endogenous Technological Change. Journal of Political Economy, 98 (October 1990), S71-S102. [57] Samzantraraya, A., and Patra, S. 92014). Determinants of Household Savings in India: An Empirical Analysis Using ARDL Approach. Economics Research International, 1-8, 2014. [58] Singh, T. (2010). Does Domestic Saving Cause Economic Growth? Time Series Evidence from India. Journal of Policy Modeling, 32(1), 231-253. [59] Solow, R.M. (1956). A contribution to the theory of economic growth. Quarterly Journal of Economics. 70(1), 65-94. [60] Taivan, A., and Nene, G. (2016). Financial Development and Economic Growth. The Journal of Developing Areas, 50(4), 81-95. [61] Thirlwall, A.P. (1974). Inflation, Saving and Growth in the Open Economy. Inflation, Saving and Growth in Developing Countries. Palgrave, London. https:// doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-86179-8_8. [62] Tinaromm, A. (2005). The Relationship between Saving and Growth in South Africa: A Times Series Analysis. South Africa Journal of Economics, 73(1), 171-189. [63] Tobin, J. (1956). The interest elasticity of transactions demand for cash. Review of Economics and Statistics, 38(1), 2411-247. [64] Wooldridge, J.M. (2006). Introductory Economics: A Modern Approach. South-Western Publishing. [65] World Bank (2020). World Development Indicators, Various Issues. Washington DC. [66] Yang, D.T., Zhang, J., and Zhou, S. (2011). Why Are Saving Rates So High In China? NBER Working Paper Number 16771. 1050 MA: National Bureau of Economic Research. [67] Zhao, S., and Gong, Q. (2021). Does financial development necessarily lead to economic growth? Evidence from recent China. Asian Journal of Economic and Finance, 3 (1), 71-91.