How and How Much? The Growth-Friendliness of Public Spending through the Lens by Alessandra Cepparulo and Gilles Mourre published by European Economy (2020).
The paper analyses the growth-friendliness of public spending in EU countries over the decade 2007-2016. It looks into the composition, performance and efficiency of public expenditure across countries and specific functions of government. This approach allows for some granularity in the analysis. Using a literature survey, semi-disaggregated composite indicators of performance and an efficiency frontier approach, the analysis provides a rich set of results on the quality of public spending, giving first indications on where room for improvements appears to be large. The overall results turn out fairly mixed, providing a nuanced picture of the growth-friendliness of public expenditure in the EU both in terms of level and change.
