Government Capital Expenditure and Economic Growth: An Empirical Investigation

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate how capital government expenditure contributes to economic growth in East African countries. Many past empirical studies on the relationship between public capital spending and output growth show inconsistent results and mainly focus on total public expenditure. Hence, this study aims to determine the impact of public capital spending on economic growth using panel data series for East African countries. The secondary data sources were statistical abstracts and World Bank reports. To check if the variables have a relationship, this study used the panel least squares (OLS) estimation technique. The results showed that capital spending has a positive and significant effect on economic growth in East Africa. This research suggests that in East African economies, the strategy and policy of increasing government spending on the capital budget to promote economic growth will be appropriate, but fewer funds should be channeled towards recurrent programs.