This study examined the relationships among oil revenue, government spending, and economic growth in Nigeria. By implication, it investigated whether oil revenue impacted on government spending, as well as on economic growth in the country over the period from 1980 to 2012. Time series data were analyzed using econometric techniques which included Ordinary Least Square (OLS), cointegration, Vector Error Correction Model (VECM), and Granger causality to determine the direction of causality and the magnitude of impacts of the variables. Findings from the analysis revealed that oil revenue Granger caused both of total government spending and growth, while there was no-causality between government spending and growth in the country. The study therefore suggested that government should increase spending on capital projects as well as intensify efforts at increasing output in the oil sub-sector in order to boost economic growth in Nigeria.

This study examines the relationship among poverty, inequality and economic growth in Nigeria by employing macroeconomic variables which include GDP growth rate, per capita income, literacy rate, government expenditure on education, and government expenditure on health. Time series data over the period from 1980 to 2012 were fitted into the Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression equations using various econometric techniques such as Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) unit root test, Phillips-Perron unit root test, Johansen co-integration test, and Error Correction Mechanism (ECM) technique. The OLS results reveal that GDP growth rate increases inequality, but reduces poverty in the country. It is thus suggested that, aside boosting the GDP, an increased effective government spending on education and public health facilities, as well as programmes that are meant primarily for the non-privileged like children, women and the poor in general, be provided for poverty and inequality to reduce in the country.

Abstract:This study has investigated the relationship between government spending and inclusive growth in Nigeria over the period 1995 to 2014. Specifi cally, it examined how, and to what extent, government spending on education, government spending on health, economic freedom, public resource use, and real GDP growth rate have impacted on inclusive growth in the country. It used the Dickey-Fuller GLS unit root test to ascertain the order of integration of the series. Consequently, through the Auto-Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bound testing technique, the study found that in the long-run government spending on health, economic freedom, public resource use and real GDP growth rate had signifi cantly positive infl uence on inclusive growth. In the short-run, however, only real GDP impacted signifi cantly on inclusive growth while other variables were not signifi cant in causing inclusive growth. Thus, in conclusion, government spending in the form of redistributive spending on health propelled inclusive growth in Nigeria.

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The socio-economic crisis associated with COVID-19 is threatening progress towards attaining sustainable development goals. In this regard, global GDP is to contract in 2020 by 5.2% as against 2.8% in SSA. In addition, as global recession is imminent, developing countries stand to accommodate about 60 million people into extreme poverty amid rising debt. However, as an indispensable requirement for sustainable development, United Nations and African Union resolve to eradicate extreme poverty through aspirations for inclusive growth by 2030 and 2063, respectively. It is on this background this paper examines the impact of debt and COVID-19, as well as the effectiveness of growth inclusiveness for sustainable development in SSA. Imperatively, using a panel of 43 countries over the period 2016-2019, it is established that the level of employment increases, just as life expectancy improves, in tandem with inclusive growth. Also, the timeline analysis of the COVID-19 period reveals that the unemployment rate, as well as public debt, is increasing substantially above the levels before the outbreak; thereby portending a setback on the gains so far achieved towards sustainable development in the region. As such, total debt cancellation is suggested along with more financial assistance to economies in the region.

As the size of the federal government expands in tandem with debt, economic growth rather looks gloomy despite the country’s emergence from two recessions in four years. Although the situation provokes studies with robust outcomes, however, there is no convergence in findings. As such, in the attempt to contribute to the empirics, this paper assesses the relationship between government size and economic growth using the Johansen co-integration technique on time series data covering the period 1981-2020. A long-run relationship is affirmed as expenditure on transfers Granger-causes economic growth while economic growth Granger-causes social and community services, and a no-causality is established between economic growth and every other component of expenditure. Nonetheless, expenditure on social and community services impact economic growth negatively even as economic services and transfers promote growth. Thus, with disaggregated recurrent expenditure, government size exhibits both positive and negative relationships with economic growth in Nigeria. In effect, more budgetary allocation is suggested for economic services.

This paper examines the relationship between fiscal stability and macroeconomic environment in Nigeria using time series data covering the period 1981-2019. As Nigeria’s debt appears excessive amid macroeconomic imbalance, different concerns are raised about the capacity of the government to repay the debt. In this regard, several studies are conducted on the sustainability of the country’s debt. But then, as a long-run analysis, assessment of debt sustainability is prone to considerable uncertainty and large margins of error. Thus, the relevance and need for a short-run analysis which serves as the basis for assessing fiscal stability. In the process, while multiple structural breaks are revealed in the total revenue, exchange rate, and total debt series, a feedback causal-effect is affirmed between fiscal stability and interest rate. Consequently, the short-run analysis establishes negative impacts from each of debt and exchange rate, as against positive effect from revenue on fiscal stability. As such, given a mixed relationship between fiscal stability and certain macroeconomic factors, an improved revenue collection is suggested with reduction in borrowing.