Total effects of bank credit on economic growth in Mauritius : a time-varying coefficient estimation of the quantity theory of disaggregated credit

Date
2022-12
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH SUMMARY: The empirical literature has found mixed evidence of the effects of finance on growth. A comprehensive review by Levine (2005) found that more finance is good for the economy, and countries which have a smaller share of private sector credit to GDP should attempt to increase it to promote investment and growth. However, a part of the literature has found a non-linear relationship between ‘financial deepening’ and economic growth, suggesting that too much finance could be harmful for growth (see Deidda and Fattouh, 2002; Huang and Lin, 2009; Arcand et al., 2012, 2015; Cecchetti and Kharroubi, 2012, 2013; Law and Singh, 2014). To the best of our knowledge, none of the studies investigated the reasons for the nonlinear effects of finance on growth. Empirical studies on finance and growth in Mauritius have found a positive link between different quantitative measures of financial development (FD) such as the ratio of liquid liabilities of banks to GDP and private sector credit to GDP on investment or economic growth (see Jouan, 2005; Jankee, 2006; Seetanah, 2008; Nowbutsing et al., 2010; Muyambiri and Odhiambo, 2018). Since the empirical literature has shown that the effects of private sector credit on economic growth have been declining in many parts of the world (See Arcand et al. (2012); Cechetti et al. (2012)), this thesis investigates if the positive effects of private sector credit on economic growth still hold in Mauritius. This investigation is particularly salient as during the past three decades there has been an increase in private sector credit but economic growth has remained relatively subdued, raising questions about the efficiency of aggregate credit in promoting productive investment in the country. We start this research by performing a fixed coefficient estimation of the effects of two measures of FD: Private Sector Credit per capita1 (PSC) and Commercial Bank Credit per capita (CBC) on Real GDP per capita (RGDP). The results of the ARDL model show strong evidence of negative long-run effects of PSC or CBC on RGDP, but the effects of the former on the latter remain positive in the short-run. These results raise serious questions about the effects of aggregate credit on economic growth in the country in the long-run. We argue that the relationship between PSC or CBC and RGDP in Mauritius might have changed over time due to different economic policies adopted and structural economic changes in the country since independence in 1968, and therefore the application of a timevarying coefficient (TVC) model would be more appropriate for the analyses. In contrast to existing fixed and variable coefficient models, which ignore the indirect effects of the regressor on the dependent variable, the TVC model of Swamy and Von Zur Muehlen (2020) measure the total effects2 of PSC or CBC on RGDP from 1970 to 2019. Furthermore, as opposed to the existing empirical literature on the indirect effects of finance and growth (Sarwar et al., 2020), the TVC model uses coefficient drivers to measure more precisely the partial indirect effects3 through which finance can affect growth. The results show that the direct effects of PSC or CBC on economic growth are positive while the indirect effects measured by Private Investment (PI), Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF), Private Consumption (PC) and IMPORTS are all negative which partly explains the declining effects of finance on growth in Mauritius. It is important to highlight the differences between the ARDL and TVC results. The results for the ARDL model show significant positive direct effects of PSC or CBC on RGDP in the short-run and significant negative direct effects of PSC or CBC on RGDP in the long-run. On the other hand, the results for the TVC model show that the total effects, including the direct effects of PSC or CBC on RGDP for the entire period, are always positive and in fact it is the indirect effects of PSC or CBC on RGDP which are negative. The indirect effects are significantly measured by the negative coefficient of the coefficient drivers, PI, GFCF, PC and IMPORTS which partially explains the decline in the positive total effects of private sector credit and commercial bank credit on economic growth in Mauritius over time. The ARDL model ignores the indirect effects and hence wrongly arrives at the conclusion that it is PSC or CBC which has negative direct effects on economic growth in the long-run. The TVC results suggest that banks in Mauritius have been allocating credit to sectors which are less productive during more recent times. Therefore, we introduce the Quantity Theory of Disaggregated Credit (QTDC) in Africa and provide a new theoretical framework to show the explicit link between bank credit and nominal GDP (NGDP). In particular, we use QTDC to disaggregate commercial bank credit into bank credit for GDP transactions and bank credit for non-GDP transactions, and then measure the total effects of the former on NGDP in Mauritius. The empirical results show that bank credit for GDP transactions namely proxy 104 has stronger total effects on NGDP than proxy 115 throughout the period 1970 to 2019. This result suggests that bank credit to the construction sector has had major non-GDP effects. The time path for the total effects of proxy 10 on NGDP shows that during the economic miracle period of the 1980s bank credit for GDP transactions played a significant role in stimulating GDP. However, from the late 1980s the total effects of bank credit for GDP transactions on NGDP start to decline as commercial banks gradually shifted their allocation of credit to non-GDP sectors, notably to finance and construction. Consequently, the total effects of proxy 10 on NGDP plummet and reach its minimum point in 20136. The stronger deceleration in the time path of the total effects of proxy 11 on NGDP in comparison to the time path of proxy 10 on NGDP shows that as banks increased their allocation of credit to the construction sector, the link between bank credit and NGDP weakened considerably. The indirect effects of proxy 10 and 11 on NGDP are measured by the coefficient drivers – Private Investment (PI), Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF), Private Consumption (PC) and IMPORTS are all significant and negative, which partially explains the decline in NGDP during recent decades. In the final part of the empirical study, we use the proposition of Turner (2014, p. 28) and disaggregate Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) into three components: Residential and Commercial Real Estate Investment (RCREI), Investment in Machines (IM) and Investment in Infrastructure (II) to have a mesoscopic view of the indirect effects of bank credit for GDP transactions on NGDP and RGDP. We use the two disaggregated measures of bank credits for GDP transactions namely proxy 10 and proxy 11 as financing variables to measure their total effects on NGDP and RGDP. The findings show that irrespective of whether we use aggregate or disaggregate measures of investment, the total effects of proxy 10 on NGDP or RGDP outperforms the total effects of proxy 11 on NGDP or RGDP. The indirect effects of proxy 10 and proxy 11 measured by II, IM and RCREI remain always negative, which corroborates the previous findings that the uses of credit are important for strong economic performance. The high growth rates of the country during 1970s and 1980s is accurately depicted by the time path of the total effects of proxy 10 on RGDP which shows strong total effects of bank credit on economic growth through IM from 1970 to 1979 and from 1984 to 1992. From 1984 to 1992, the total effects of proxy 10 on RGDP via IM have had stronger total effects on economic growth relative to the total effects of proxy 11 on RGDP via RCREI. The period of high growth rates coincides with the imposition of the credit ceiling on non-priority sectors from 1973 to 1993. We argue that the close monitoring of the sectoral composition of bank credit and the introduction of the credit ceiling in 1973 has been an important element in explaining the high economic growth of the country in the 1970s and 1980s. However, after the removal of all forms of credit controls in July 1993, the time path of the total effects of proxy 10 and proxy 11 on RGDP experienced a sharp decline due to the gradual shift in the composition of bank credit to non-GDP transactions. In a nutshell, this study has brought to light five major findings. First, the fixed coefficient estimation of the effects of bank credit on economic growth has shown that the effects are significantly positive in the short-run but negative in the long-run. Second, the time-varying coefficient estimation shows that the effects of bank credit on economic growth are not constant but vary over time, and are non-linear which strongly challenges the findings of previous empirical studies that have used fixed coefficient models and hence assumed that the relationship between finance and growth is constant. More specifically, we find that the effect of bank credit for GDP transactions vary over time and are non-linear. This result also contrasts the findings of previous empirical studies on QTDC that have used fixed coefficient models and assumed that the positive effects of increases in bank credit for GDP transactions on NGDP growth are constant. Third, bank credit has had stronger effects on economic growth from 1970 to about 1990 but then the effects weaken due to increasing bank credit for non-GDP transactions. Fourth, proxy 10 has had stronger effects on GDP in comparison to proxy 11 because the latter includes bank credit to construction whose non-GDP effects weaken the relationship between bank credit and GDP. Fifth, the indirect effects of proxy 10 on economic growth as measured by IM give a strong channel through which bank credit can stimulate economic growth. We believe that it is possible to replicate the time path of the best model that shows sustained and strong positive total effects of proxy 10 on RGDP in Mauritius from 1973 to 1979 and notably from 1984 to 1992. Thus, we propose credit policy measures that would increase bank credit for GDP transactions and encourage investment to IM which today could include investment in agri-tech, high-tech manufacturing, renewable energy technology, information and communications technology devices and the operations of the blue economy amongst others. However, the reintroduction of a productive system of credit allocation is a necessary but not sufficient condition to reignite economic growth in the country. It should also be accompanied by an industrial policy like in 1980s which includes the production of higher value added goods mainly for the exports market.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Proefondervindelik is bewys dat finansiering ‘n gemengde uitwerking het op groei. ‘n Omvattende oorsig deur Levine (2005) toon dat die ekonomie by ‘n toename in finansiering baat en dat ‘n land waar die privaatsektor oor ‘n betreklik kleiner hoeveelheid krediet beskik, vergeleke met sy GDP, sy kredietvlakke behoort op te stoot ten einde belegging en groei te bevorder. Ander navorsing het egter bewys dat die verhouding tussen groei in die ekonomie en ‘n toename in finansiering nie-linier van aard is, wat daarop dui dat ‘n oormaat van finansiering skadelik kan wees vir groei (sien Deidda en Fattouh, 2002; Huang en Lin, 2009; Arcand et al., 2012, 2015; Cecchetti en Kharroubi, 2012, 2013; Law en Singh, 2014). Vir sover ons kennis strek, het geen van bogenoemde ondersoeke die redes agter die nie-liniere uitwerking van finansiering op groei nagevors nie. Volgens proefnavorsing oor finansiering en groei in Mauritius bestaan daar ‘n positiewe ooreenkoms tussen verskeie kwantitatiewe maatstawe vir finansiele ontwikkeling (FO) soos bv. die verhouding van die likiede verpligtinge van banke tot GDP en die krediet van die privaatsektor tot GDP t.o.v. belegging of ekonomiese groei (sien Jouan, 2005; Jankee, 2006; Seetanah, 2008; Nowbutsing et al., 2010; Muyambiri en Odhiambo, 2018). Aangesien navorsing bewys dat die uitwerking van privaatsektorkrediet op ekonomiese groei in vele werelddele aan die afneem is, (sien Arcand et al. (2012); Cechetti et al. (2012)), wil hierdie proefskrif vasstel of die positiewe uitwerking van privaatsektorkrediet op ekonomiese groei nog in Mauritius geld. Hierdie ondersoek is veral toepaslik aangesien daar tydens de afgelope drie dekades ‘n toename in privaatsektorkrediet was, terwyl ekonomiese groei betreklik stadig gebly het, wat vrae laat ontstaan oor die doeltreffendheid van aggregaatkrediet in die bevordering van produktiewe belegging in die land. Hierdie navorsingstuk begin met ‘n skatting van die uitwerking van ‘n vaste koeffisient van twee FO-maatstawe, nl.Privaatsektorkrediet per capita7 (PSC) en Kommersiele Bankkrediet per capita (CBC), op Reele GDP per capita (RGDP). Die uitwerking van die outoregressiewe distribusie-vertraging (ARDL) toon sterk bewyse van die negatiewe langtermyngevolge van PSC en CBC op RGDP, maar die uitwerking van eersgenoemdes op laasgenoemde bly in die korttermyn positief. Hierdie bevindinge laat ernstige vrae ontstaan oor die langtermynuitwerking van aggregaatkrediet op ekonomiese groei in die land. Hieronder word beweer dat the verhouding tussen PSC of CBC en RGDP in Mauritius met verloop van tyd dalk verander het as gevolg van verskeie beleide wat t.o.v. die ekonomie toegepas is, asook van strukturele ekonomiese wysigings in die land sedert onafhanklikwording in 1968. Dit is dus meer toepaslik om ‘n tydwisselende koeffisientmodel (TVC) op die ontledinge te gebruik. In teenstelling met die bestaande vaste en wisselende modelle, wat die indirekte gevolge van die regressor op die afhanklike veranderlike miskyk, het die TVC-model van Swamy en Von Zur Muehlen (2020) die totale gevolge8 van PSC of CBC op RGDP vanaf 1970 tot 2019 gemeet. In teenstelling met die huidige empiriese navorsingsverslae oor die indirekte uitwerking van finansiering en groei (Sarwar et al., 2020), gebruik die TVC-model koeffisientaanduiders om op presieser wyse die gedeeltelike gevolge9 te meet waardeur finansiering groei kan beinvloed. Die uitslae bewys dat die direkte gevolge van PSC of CBC op ekonomiese groei positief is, terwyl die indirekte gevolge, soos volgens Privaatinvestering (PI), Bruto Vaste Kapitaalskepping (GFCF), Privaatverbruik (PC) en Invoere gemeet, alles negatief is, wat dan die afnemende uitwerking van finansiering op groei in Mauritius verduidelik. Dit is belangrik om klem te le op die verskille tussen die uitslae van ARDL en TVC. Die uitslae van die ARDL-model toon in die kort termyn beduidende positiewe direkte gevolge van PSC of CBC op RGDP; langtermyn-direkte gevolge van PSC of CBC op RGDP is egter negatief. Aan die ander kant dui die uitslae vir die TVC-model dat die totale uitwerking, ingeslote die direkte gevolge van PSC of CBC op RGDP vir die volle tydperk, deurgaans positief is. Trouens dit is juis die indirekte gevolge van PSC of CBC op RGDP wat negatief is. Die indirekte gevolge is beduidend meetbaar aan die negatiewe koeffisient van die koeffisiente aanduiders, nl. PI, GFCF, PC en Invoere, wat gedeeltelik die afname met verloop van tyd in die positiewe totale gevolge van krediet in die privaatsektor sowel as kommersiele bankkrediet op ekonomiese groei in Mauritius kan verduidelik. Die ARDL-model verontagsaam die indirekte uitwerking en kom gevolglik tot die verkeerde slotsom dat dit PSC of CBC is wat in die langtermyn ‘n negatiewe uitwerking op ekonomiese groei het. Uit die TVC-uitslae blyk dit asof banke in Mauritius krediet aan sektore verskaf het wat in die afgelope tyd minder produktief was. Daarom word daar voorgestel dat die Kwantiteitsteorie van Gedesaggregeerde Krediet (QTDC) hier in Afrika gebruik word en dat ‘n nuwe teoretiese raamwerk verskaf moet word ten einde die duidelike verband tussen bankkrediet en nominale GDP (NGDP) te bewys. In die besonder word QTDC aangewend om kommersiele bankkrediet vir GDP-transaksies en bankkrediet vir nie-GDP-transaksies te desaggregeer; daarna word die totale uitwerking van eersgenoemde op NGDP in Mauritius gemeet. Die bewese uitslae in die hele tydperk 1970 tot 2019 toon dat bankkrediet vir GDP-transaksies, naamlik proxy 1010, ‘n sterker uitwerking op NGDP het as proxy 1111.Hierdie bevinding dui daarop dat bankkrediet in die konstruksiesektor nie ‘n daadwerklike uitwerking op GDP gehad het nie. Die tydsverloop waarin die totale uitwerking van proxy 10 op NGDP gemeet is, toon dat bankkrediet tydens die ekonomiese wondertydperk van die tagtigerjare ‘n beduidende rol gespeel het om GDP aan te dryf. Vanaf die laat-tagtigerjare begin die totale uitwerking van bankkrediet van GDP-transaksies op NGDP egter afneem namate kommersiele banke geleidelik hul krediettoekenning aan nie-GDP-sektore, met name finansiering en konstruksie, aanskuif. Gevolglik kom daar ‘n dramatiese vermindering in die totale uitwerking van proxy 10 op NGDP voor en bereik dit in 201312 sy laagtepunt. Die sterker afname gedurende die tydsverloop van die totale uitwerking van proxy 11 op NGDP, vergeleke met die tydsverloop van proxy 10 op NGDP, toon dat die verband tussen bankkrediet en NGDP aansienlik verswak het namate banke hul krediettoekenning aan die konstruksiesektor opgestoot het. Die indirekte gevolge van proxy 10 en 11 op NGDP word deur middel van die koeffisientaanduiders gemeet, nl. Privaatinvestering (PI), Bruto Vaste Kapitaalskepping (GFCF), Privaatverbruik (PC) en Invoere, waarvan elkeen beduidend en negatief is, wat gedeeltelik die afname in NGDP in onlangse dekades verklaar. In die laaste gedeelte van die empiriese navorsingstuk word gebruik gemaak van die stelling van Turner (2014, p. 28) en word die Bruto Vaste-kapitaalskepping (GFCF) in die volgende komponente gedesaggregeer, nl. Belegging in Woonbuurte en Vaste Eiendom (RCREI), Belegging in Masjinerie (IM) en Belegging in Infrastruktuur (II), ten einde ‘n oorkoepelende blik op die indirekte gevolge van bankkrediet vir GDP-transaksies op NGDP en RGDP te verkry. Daar word gebruik gemaak van die twee gedesaggregeerde maatstawe van bankkrediet vir GDP-transaksies, nl. proxy 10 en 11, as finansieringsveranderlikes om die totale uitwerking daarvan op NGDP en RGDP te meet. Ongeag of aggregaat of desaggregaat as beleggingsmaatstaf gebruik word, toon die bevindinge dat die totale uitwerking van proxy 10 op NGDP of RGDP die totale uitwerking van proxy 11 daarop oorskry. Die indirekte uitwerking van proxy 10 en proxy 11, soos deur II, IM en RCREI gemeet, bly deurgaans negatief, wat die vroeere bevindinge bevestig dat juis die gebruik van krediet belangrik is vir sterk ekonomiese prestasie. Die land se hoe groeikoerse gedurende die 1970’s en 1980’s word noukeurig weerspieel in die tydsverloop van die totale uitwerking van proxy 10 op RGDP, en toon die sterk totale uitwerking van bankkrediet op ekonomiese groei vanaf 1970 tot 1979 asook van 1984 tot 1992 – as gevolg van IM. Tussen 1984 en 1992 toon die totale uitwerking van proxy 10 op RDGP a.g.v.IM sterker algehele gevolge op ekonomiese groei in vergelyking met die total uitwerking van proxy 11 op RDGP a.g.v. RCREI. Die tydperk van vinnige groeikoerse val saam met die toepassing van die kredietplafon op nie-prioriteitsektore tussen 1973 en 1993. Daar word gekonstateer dat die noukeurige monitering van die samestelling van bankkrediet in die verskeie sektore ‘n belangrike element uitmaak waarvolgens die sterk ekonomiese groei in die 1970’s en 1980’s in die land verduidelik kan word. Na die opheffing van alle vorme van kredietkontrole in Julie 1993, ondervind die tydsverloop van die totale uitwerking van proxy 10 en proxy 11 op RDGP egter ‘n skerp afname, as gevolg van die geleidelike skuif in die samestelling van bankkrediet ten gunste van nie-GDP-transaksies. In ‘n neutedop saamgevat: hierdie navorsing het vyf belangrike bevindinge aan die lig gebring. Eerstens: die vaste koeffisient-skatting van die uitwerking van bankkrediet op ekonomiese groei toon dat die gevolge in die korttermyn beduidend positief is, maar dat dit op die lange duur negatief is. Tweedens: die skatting ten opsigte van tydwisselende koeffisiente bewys dat die uitwerking van bankkrediet op ekonomiese groei nie konstant is nie, maar dat dit nie net met verloop van tyd verander nie, maar ook nie-linier van aard is. Hierdie bevindinge bevraagteken sterk die gevolgtrekkinge van vroeere empiriese navorsing wat steun op vaste koeffisientmodelle en gevolglik aanneem dat die verhouding tussen finansiering en groei konstant is. Meer spesifiek nog: daar is bevind dat die uitwerking van bankkrediet vir GDP-transaksies met verloop van tyd wissel en dat dit nie-linier van aard is. Hierdie bevinding kontrasteer ook met dié van vroeere empiriese navorsing oor QTDC wat vaste koeffisientmodelle gebruik en aanneem dat die positiewe gevolge op NGDP-groei van ‘n toename in bankkrediet vir GDP-transaksies konstant bly. Derdens: bankkrediet het vanaf 1970 tot om en by 1990 ‘n sterk uitwerking op ekonomiese groei gehad, maar daarna verswak die uitwerking as gevolg van die toenemende beskikbaarheid van bankkrediet vir nie-GDP-transaksies. Vierdens: in vergelyking met proxy 11 het proxy 10 ‘n sterker uitwerking op GDP, want proxy 11 sluit bankkrediet vir die konstruksiesektor in, waar die nie-GDP-gevolge die verhouding tussen bankkrediet en GDP verswak. Vyfdens: die indirekte uitwerking van proxy 10 op ekonomiese groei, soos deur middel van IM gemeet, verskaf ‘n sterk middel waarmee bankkrediet ekonomiese groei kan bevorder. Daar word geglo dat dit moontlik is om die tydsverloop van die beste model te herhaal waarvolgens volgehoue, sterk positiewe totale uitwerking van proxy 10 op RDGP in Mauritius vanaf 1973 tot 1979 en veral weer vanaf 1984 tot 1992 bewys is.Daar word dus kredietbeleidmaatreels voorgestel wat bankkrediet vir GDP-transaksies sal verhoog en investering in IM aanmoedig. Dit kan huidiglik ‘n toename in belegging meebring ten opsigte van agritegnologie, moderne vervaardiging, hernieubare energietegnologie, inligtings- en kommunikasie-tegnologietoestelle, asook onder andere die bedryf van die marine- of blouekonomie. Hoewel die herinstelling van ‘n produktiewe stelsel van krediettoewysing noodsaaklik is, is dit egter nie op sigself voldoende om ekonomiese groei in die land aan te wakker nie. Dit moet ook gepaard gaan met ‘n nywerheidsbeleid soortgelyk aan die in die 1980’s wat die vervaardiging van goedere met hoer waarde met die oog veral op die uitvoermark insluit.
Description
Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.
Keywords
investment and growth, economic growth -- Mauritius, Gross domestic product -- Mauritius, Investments -- Mauritius, UCTD
Citation