Fiscal deficit and economic growth in Uzbekistan: Evidence from an ARDL model with structural reform considerations

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Type of the article: Research Article

Abstract
This study examines the short-run and long-run relationship between fiscal deficit and economic growth in Uzbekistan over 2000–2025, with explicit attention to the structural reform dynamics introduced by the 2017 economic liberalization program. To achieve this aim, the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach is combined with the Zivot-Andrews endogenous structural break test. The bounds test confirms a stable cointegrating relationship (F = 8.947, exceeding the 1% upper bound), thereby fulfilling the study's aim of establishing a long-run equilibrium link between fiscal deficit and growth. The results show that the fiscal deficit exerts a positive and statistically significant effect on growth in both the short (β = 0.178) and the long run (β = 0.242): a one-percentage-point increase in the deficit raises long-run growth by about 0.24 percentage points. The 2017 reform dummy carries a significant negative coefficient (β = –6.196), quantifying the short-term adjustment cost of the transition, while the Zivot-Andrews test independently dates structural breaks in the exchange rate and domestic credit to 2017. Among the controls, domestic credit raises growth (β = 0.146), whereas inflation (β = –0.189) and exchange rate depreciation (β = –1.365) reduce it; the error-correction term (ω = –1.862) indicates rapid convergence to equilibrium. These findings confirm all research hypotheses and support the Keynesian view, while demonstrating that fiscal policy effectiveness in transition economies is conditional on accompanying structural reforms, macroeconomic stability, and financial development.

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    • Figure 1. CUSUM test for parameter stability of the ARDL model, 2000–2025
    • Table 1. Description of variables, units of measurement, and data sources
    • Table 2. Descriptive statistics
    • Table 3. Correlation matrix
    • Table 4. Augmented Dickey-Fuller unit root test results
    • Table 5. Zivot–Andrews structural break unit root test
    • Table 6. ARDL bounds test results
    • Table 7. Estimated long-run coefficients of the ARDL model: Dependent variable – Economic growth (GR)
    • Table 8. Short-run dynamics and Error Correction Model (ECM) results: Dependent variable – D(GR)
    • Table 9. Model fit statistics
    • Table 10. Breusch-Pagan-Godfrey heteroskedasticity test
    • Formal Analysis
      Fozil Xolmurotov, Nargiza Majidova
    • Methodology
      Fozil Xolmurotov, Shaxnoza Karimova, Dilshod Hudayberganov
    • Project administration
      Fozil Xolmurotov, Nargiza Maxmudova
    • Software
      Fozil Xolmurotov
    • Writing – original draft
      Fozil Xolmurotov, Shaxnoza Karimova, Moldir Sagieva, Nargiza Majidova
    • Writing – review & editing
      Fozil Xolmurotov, Nasiba Ergasheva, Dilshod Hudayberganov, Nargiza Maxmudova
    • Funding acquisition
      Nasiba Ergasheva, Nargiza Maxmudova
    • Investigation
      Nasiba Ergasheva, Moldir Sagieva
    • Resources
      Nasiba Ergasheva, Dilshod Hudayberganov, Nargiza Majidova
    • Validation
      Nasiba Ergasheva, Moldir Sagieva, Nargiza Majidova, Nargiza Maxmudova
    • Data curation
      Shaxnoza Karimova, Dilshod Hudayberganov, Nargiza Maxmudova
    • Visualization
      Shaxnoza Karimova, Moldir Sagieva, Nargiza Maxmudova
    • Supervision
      Dilshod Hudayberganov, Nargiza Majidova
    • Conceptualization
      Moldir Sagieva