Estimating Time-Varying Long-Run Growth Rate of Russian GDP in the ARX Model with Oil Prices

Abstract

The paper estimates the path of trend growth rates for Russian GDP based on an autoregressive model with exogenous variables and with a time-varying parameter of trend growth, which, by assumption, is described by a random walk process. In conditions of a high dependence of the Russian economy on commodity exports, terms of trade are used as a control exogenous variable for GDP dynamics. For the purpose of econometric estimation, the ARX model is presented as an unobserved components model and estimated using the maximum likelihood method with the Kalman filter applied. It is shown that in the first half of the 2000s the trend growth rate was at 4%, which can be interpreted as recovery growth after a transformational recession. The higher growth rates actually achieved during this period are explained by the intensive growth of world oil prices. Later, the potential for recovery growth was exhausted, and after the crisis of 2008 the rates of trend growth were remaining at the level of 2% per year for a long period of time. However, following the 2014 crisis, trend growth rates began to decline steadily, and had reached about 1% per year by the beginning of 2019, which can be interpreted as the impact of sanctions and geopolitical uncertainty on the economic development of the Russian Federation. The results of an econometric analysis of the model on household consumption and investment data also suggest that the trend growth rate is approximately 1% per year at present.