Under the
circumstances of the most recent and still undergoing severe economic recession
in Greece, the question arises on the role of uncertainty as regards the
country’s growth prospects. In order to assess the potential impact of real
uncertainty on economic growth, this paper investigates the bidirectional link
between output growth and real uncertainty for the case of Greece. We use quarterly
GDP data covering the time period from 1975 to mid-2013, and so include the
most recent period of still undergoing recession. We apply an extended GARCH-M
model to be able to directly and simultaneously examine both directions of
dependence between output growth and real uncertainty. We find that a negative
and significant relation exists in both ways, hence providing a tool for
policies in order to speed up economic recovery.
References
[1]
M. Friedman, “The Role of Monetary Policy,” American Economic Review, Vol. 58, No. 1, 1968, pp. 1-17.
[2]
G. Ramey and V. A. Ramey, “Cross-Country Evidence on the Link between Volatility and Growth,” American Economic Review, Vol. 85, No. 5, 1995, pp. 1138-1151.
[3]
X. Chapsa., C. Katrakilidis and N. Tabakis, “Dynamic Linkages between Output Growth and Macroeconomic Volatility: Evidence Using Greek Data,” International Journal of Economics and Research, Vol. 2, No. 1, 2011, pp. 152-165.
[4]
K. Blackburn, “Can Stabilisation Policy Reduce LongRun Growth?” Economic Journal, Vol. 109, No. 452, 1999, pp. 67-77. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1468-0297.00391
[5]
R. Kneller and G. Young, “Business Cycle Volatility, Uncertainty and Long-Run Growth,” The Manchester School, Vol. 69, No. 5, 2001. pp. 534-552. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1467-9957.00268
[6]
S. Fountas and M. Karanasos, “The Relationship between Economic Growth and Real Uncertainty in the G3,” Economic Modelling, Vol. 23, No. 4, 2006, pp. 638-647. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2006.03.002
[7]
J. Lee, “The Link between Output Growth and Volatility: Evidence from a GARCH Model with Panel Data,” Economics Letters, Vol. 106, No. 2, 2010, pp. 143-145. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2009.11.008
[8]
A. E. H. Speight, “UK Output Variability and Growth: Some Further Evidence,” Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 46, No. 2, 1999, pp. 175-184. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1467-9485.00127
[9]
T. Caporale and B. McKiernan, “The Relationship between Output Variability and Growth: Evidence from Post War UK Data,” Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 43, No. 2, 1996, pp. 229-236. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9485.1996.tb00675.x
[10]
S. Fountas, M. Karanasos and A. Mendoza, “Output Variability and Economic Growth: The Japanese Case,” Bulletin of Economic Research, Vol. 56, No. 4, 2004, pp. 353-363. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8586.2004.00209.x
[11]
W.-S Fang and S. M. Miller, “The Great Moderation and the Relationship between Output Growth and Its Volatility,” Southern Economic Journal, Vol. 74, No. 3, 2008, pp. 819-838.
[12]
W.-S Fang, S. M. Miller and C.S. Lee, “Cross-Country Evidence on Output Growth Volatility: Nonstationary Variance and GARCH models,” Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 55, No. 4, 2008, pp. 509-541. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9485.2008.00464.x
[13]
W.-S. Fang and S. M. Miller, “Modeling the Volatility of Real GDP Growth: The Case of Japan Revisited,” Japan and the World Economy, Vol. 21, No. 3, 2009, pp. 312-324. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.japwor.2008.10.002
[14]
H. Badinger, “Output Volatility and Economic Growth,” Economics Letters, Vol. 106, No. 1, 2010, pp. 15-18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2009.09.012
[15]
R. F. Engle, “Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity with Estimates of the Variance of United Kingdom Inflation,” Econometrica, Vol. 50, No. 4, 1982, pp. 987-1006. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1912773
[16]
R. F. Engle and T. Bollerslev, “Modeling the Persistence of Conditional Variances,” Econometric Reviews, Vol. 5, No. 1, 1986, pp. 1-50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07474938608800095
[17]
R. F. Engle, D. M. Lilien and R. P. Robins, “Estimating Time-Varying Risk Premia in the Term Structure: The ARCH-M Model,” Econometrica, Vol. 55, No. 2, 1987, pp. 391-407. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1913242
[18]
E. K. Berndt, B. H. Hall, R. E Hall and J. A. Hausman, “Estimation and Inference in Nonlinear Structural Models,” Annals of Economic and Social Measurement, Vol. 3, No. 4, 1974, pp. 653-665.
[19]
T. Bollerslev and J. M. Wooldridge, “Quasi-Maximum Likelihood Estimation and Inference in Dynamic Models with Time-Varying Covariance,” Econometric Reviews, Vol. 11, No. 2, 1992, pp. 143-172. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07474939208800229
[20]
F. Black, “Business Cycles and Equilibrium,” Basil Blackwell, New York, 1987.
[21]
A. Sandmo, “The Effect of Uncertainty on Savings Decisions,” Review of Economic Studies, Vol. 37, No. 3, 1970, pp. 353-360. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2296725
[22]
R. M. Solow, “A Contribution to the Theory of Economic Growth,” Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. 70, No. 1, 1956, pp. 65-94. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1884513
[23]
E. Andreou, A. Pelloni and M. Sensier, “Is Volatility Good for Growth? Evidence from the G7,” The University of Manchester, Centre for Growth and Business Cycle Research, Discussion Paper 097, 2008.
[24]
J. M. Keynes, “The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money,” Macmillan, London, 1936.
[25]
B. S. Bernanke, “Irreversibility, Uncertainty, and Cyclical Investment,” Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. 98, No. 1, 1983, pp. 85-106. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1885568
[26]
R. S. Pindyck, “Irreversibility, Uncertainty, and Investment,” Journal of Economic Literature, Vol. 29, No. 3, 1991, pp. 1110-1148.
[27]
G. Ramey and V. A. Ramey, “Technology Commitment and the Cost of Economic Fluctuations,” NBER Working Paper 3755, 1991.
[28]
K. Blackburn and E. Pelloni, “Growth, Cycles, and Stabilisation Policy,” Oxford Economic Papers, Vol. 57, No. 2, 2005, pp. 262-282. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oep/gpi012
[29]
K. Blackburn and E. Pelloni, “On the Relationship between Growth and Volatility,” Economics Letters, Vol. 83, No. 1, 2004, pp. 123-127. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2003.10.010
[30]
A. D. Brunner, “Comment on Inflation Regimes and the Sources of Inflation Uncertainty,” Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Vol. 25, No. 3, 1993, pp. 512-520. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2077720
[31]
S. Fountas, M. Karanasos and J. Kim, “Inflation Uncertainty, Output Growth Uncertainty and Macroeconomic Performance,” Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 68, No. 3, 2006, pp. 319-343. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0084.2006.00164.x
[32]
M. Friedman, “Inflation and Unemployment,” Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 85, No. 3, 1977, pp. 451-472. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/260579
[33]
J. B. Taylor, “Estimation and Control of a Macroeconomic Model with Rational Expectations,” Econometrica, Vol. 47, No. 5, 1979, pp. 1267-1286. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1911962
[34]
R. C. Kormendi and P. G. and Meguire, “Macroeconomic Determinants of Growth,” Journal of Monetary Economics, Vol. 16, No. 2, 1985, pp. 141-163. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0304-3932(85)90027-3
[35]
K. B. Grier and G. Tullock, “An Empirical Analysis of Cross-National Economic Growth 1951-80,” Journal of Monetary Economics, Vol. 24, No. 2, 1989, pp. 259-276. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0304-3932(89)90006-8
[36]
T. Caporale and B. McKiernan, “The Fischer Black Hypothesis: Some Time-Series Evidence,” Southern Economic Journal, Vol. 64, No. 3, 1998, pp. 765-771. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1060792
[37]
S. Fountas and M. Karanasos, “Inflation, Output Growth, and Nominal and Real Uncertainty: Empirical Evidence for the G7,” Journal of International Money and Finance, Vol. 26, No. 2, 2007, pp. 229-250. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jimonfin.2006.10.006
[38]
P. K. Narayan, S. Narayan and R. Smyth, “Understanding the Inflation-Output Nexus for China,” China Economic Review, Vol. 20, No. 1, 2009, pp. 82-90. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chieco.2008.10.012
[39]
K. Jiranyakul, “The Link between Output Growth and Output Volatility in Five Crisis-Affected Asian Countries,” Middle Eastern Finance and Economics, No. 12, 2011, pp. 101-108.
[40]
R. Lensink, H. Bo and E. Sterken, “Does Uncertainty Affect Economic Growth? An Empirical Analysis,” Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv, Vol. 135, No. 3, 1999, pp. 379-396. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02707331
[41]
P. Martin and C. A. Rogers, “Long-Term Growth and ShortTerm Economic Instability,” European Economic Review, Vol. 44, No. 2, 2000, pp. 359-381. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0014-2921(98)00073-7
[42]
J. Macri and D. Sinha, “Output Variability and Economic Growth: The Case of Australia,” Journal of Economics and Finance, Vol. 24, No. 3, 2000, pp. 275-282. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02752608
[43]
ó. T. Henry and N. Olekalns, “The Effect of Recessions on the Relationship between Output Variability and Growth,” Southern Economic Journal, Vol. 68, No. 3, 2002, pp. 683-692. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1061726
[44]
D. Asteriou and S. Price, “Uncertainty, Investment and Economic Growth: Evidence from a Dynamic Panel,” Review of Development Economics, Vol. 9, No. 2, 2005, pp. 277-288. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9361.2005.00276.x
[45]
D. Bredin and S. Fountas, “Macroeconomic Uncertainty and Performance in the European Union,” Journal of International Money and Finance, Vol. 28, No. 6, 2009, pp. 972-986. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jimonfin.2008.09.003
[46]
S. R. Baker and N. Bloom, “Does Uncertainty Reduce Growth? Using Disasters as Natural Experiments,” NBER Working Paper No. 19475, 2013.
[47]
S. Denis and P. Kannan, “The Impact of Uncertainty Shocks on the UK Economy,” IMF Working Paper No. 13/66, 2013.
[48]
A. Haddow, C. Hare, J. Hooley and T. Shakir, “Macroeconomic Uncertainty: What It Is, How Can We Measure It and Why Does It Matter?” Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin, Vol. 53, No. 2, 2013, pp. 100-109.
[49]
S. Fountas and M. Karanasos, “Are Economic Growth and the Variability of the Business Cycle Related? Evidence from Five European Countries,” International Economic Journal, Vol. 22, No. 4, 2008, pp. 445-459. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10168730802497478
[50]
M. Karanasos and S. Schurer, “Is the Reduction in Output Growth Related to the Increase in Its Uncertainty? The Case of Italy,” WSEAS Transactions on Business and Economics, Vol. 3, 2005, pp. 116-122.
[51]
S. Fountas, M. Karanasos and J. Kim, “Inflation and Output Growth Uncertainty and Their Relationship with Inflation and Output Growth,” Economics Letters, Vol. 75, No. 3, 2002, pp. 293-301. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0165-1765(02)00009-5
[52]
C. Conrad, M. Karanasos and N. Zeng, “The Link between Macroeconomic Performance and Variability in the UK,” Economics Letters, Vol. 106, No. 3, 2010, pp. 154-157. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2009.11.002