Crowding out Effect of Foreign Aid in Selected Developing Countries: Panel Data Evidence

Abstract

ublic sector decision-makers are faced with the task of allocating resources among different alternative subject due budgetary constraints. In this paper Official Development Assistance (ODA) data have been considered as foreign aid. ODA is channeled through the public sector of recipient countries and, hence, the ultimate effect of ODA on savings or economic growth depends on how governments respond to it. This paper tries to explore the impact of official development assistance on public sector behavior in selected developing countries and contribute to the fiscal response literature on two main grounds. First, it specifies a fiscal response model. Second, using panel data model for a sample of 25 aid recipient countries in Asia and Latin America over the period 1991- 2010. Empirical results indicate that official development assistance has a positive and significant effect on government investment expenditure, but it has not significantly impact on government current expenditures. Results also show that ODA crowds out both government revenue and public borrowing.