EXTERNAL PUBLIC DEBT AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN MOROCCO: ASSESSMENT AND IMPACTS

Abstract

This paper has the aim to study the impact of the external public debt on the economic growth in Morocco. The estimates cover the period 1988-2016. The econometric instrument used for estimating the model parameters is based on the "ARDL bound testing" method. The results confirm the high public debt has a negative and largely significant effect on the economic growth, for the short as well as for the long term. The effect is much more important in the short term than in the long term. The results corroborate most studies stating that the external debt has a negative impact on economic growth.