Covid-19, economic growth and South African fiscal policy
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP15/2020Publication date: August 2020
Author(s):
[protected email address] (University of Stellenbosch)
Even before Covid-19 South African fiscal policy was unsustainable, following years of fast-rising debt levels. We show this estimating a fiscal reaction function in a Markov-switching model. However, the effects of the Covid-19 crisis worsened the fiscal position further. To restore fiscal sustainability in the aftermath of the crisis some commentators argue that higher government expenditure will grow GDP sufficiently to stabilise the debt/GDP ratio. We reject this, showing that although a real increase in expenditure stimulates economic growth (a short-run, once-off effect), the public expenditure/GDP ratio exceeds the level at which an increase in the ratio positively impacts growth.
JEL Classification:E62, E63, H62, H63
Keywords:Covid-19, Coronavirus, Public debt, budget deficit, primary balance, economic growth, government expenditure, tax revenue
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Upcoming Seminars
Monday 21 July 202512:00-13:00
Izak Odendaal: Old Mutual Wealth Chief Investment Strategist
Topic: "Diverging fiscal policies and what it means for markets"
12:00-13:00
Dr Neil Rankin: Ceo Of Predictive Insights & Stellenbosch University
Topic: "TBC"
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Prof Willem Boshoff: Stellenbosch University
Topic: "Two competing approaches in South African competition policy: merger control and anti-cartel enforcement over the past 30 years"
BER Weekly
27 Jun 2025 Another setback for the GNU, but oil markets breathe a little easierThis week was marked by heightened tensions both domestically and internationally. At home, friction intensified between the two largest parties in the Government of National Unity (GNU), the ANC and the DA, following the firing of one of the DA's deputy ministers. Internationally, the US conducted airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities using...
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