The effect of the government size on economic growth still keeps its unclear status despite the works in this field. According to the Armey Hypothesis (1995), which one of the studies developed for the volume of government size in economy, the increase in the public volume in economy will increase economic growth up to a certain level, and when the maximum level is reached, the increase in public volume will cause decreases in economic growth. In this study, the issues of whether the Armey Hypothesis is valid or not for G7 countries has been investigated, and the optimum public volume has been determined for G7 countries. In testing Armey Curve hypothesis, we use ARDL cointegration procedure. The results of empirical findings argue that the Armey Hypothesis is valid for US, and Canada, and France when it is invalid for other G7 countries.

The volatility of meat prices affects the accessibility and even food security of some consumers in Turkey. This study analyses the prices of selected livestock and a major feed component, wheat, as well as the exchange rate of the domestic currency in Turkey because imports augmented the domestic live calf and sheep supply. The analysis applies 470 price observations from January 2005 to October 2019 for each of the following price series: live calf, live sheep, feed wheat, and exchange rate of Turkish lira to US dollar. The series are analyzed by using the VAR-Asymmetric BEKK-GARCH technique. The results show that the elicited conditional variances of the return series were significantly affected by both short-term shocks and shocks across the return series. The uncertainties in the live calf, live sheep, and feed wheat markets were affected by both long-term volatilities and long-term swings in their own and the other markets, but their own market-induced effects were stronger. Similarly, the conditional variances of the returns of live calves, live sheep, and feed wheat were significantly affected by the rapid price ascent in the exchange rate and the periods of livestock imports as compared to the periods when imports were absent. The unfavorable news exerted particularly negative effects on persistent volatility in markets. Additionally, the live sheep market faced greater risks than the live calf or wheat markets and was greatly affected by the limited domestic sheep supply. Results provide knowledge useful in augmenting policy, assuring sustained accessibility to animal protein in Turkey and eliminating food insecurity.

Due to technological advances, stocks and commodity markets have become single market. There is a high degree of volatility among the stock markets especially opening in the same period. In this study, the volatility between Turkey, Romania, Poland, Hungary and Ukrainian stock market is examined by using the VAR (1) M-GARCH model. Before applying the VAR (1)-M-GARCH model, it is tried to determine by using the Johansen Cointegration method based on the maximum likelihood method whether there is a long-run relationship between stock exchanges. A long-run relationship is determined among the stock market according to the Johansen Cointegration test. The volatility of stock exchange volatility is examined by VAR (1)-M-GARCH-BEKK model. As a result of the findings, the conditional variance of the Turkey (BIST-100) is affected by its own short-run shocks and long-run volatility as well as the short-run shocks and the long-run volatility that have occurred in the Poland and Hungary stock markets. In addition, the conditional variance of the Turkey (BIST-100) is affected by the long-run volatility of the Romanian stock market.

This study examines the volatility of beef and lamb prices in Türkiye, as food price inflation compromises the food security of low- and middle-income households. The inflation is the result of a rise in energy (gasoline) prices leading to an increase in production costs, together with a disruption of the supply chain by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study is the first to comprehensively explore the effects of multiple price series on meat prices in Türkiye. Using price records from April 2006 through February 2022, the study applies rigorous testing and selects the VAR(1)–asymmetric BEKK bivariate GARCH model for empirical analysis. The beef and lamb returns were affected by periods of livestock imports, energy prices, and the COVID-19 pandemic, but those factors influenced the short- and long–term uncertainties differently. Uncertainty was increased by the COVID–19 pandemic, but livestock imports offset some of the negative effects on meat prices. To improve price stability and assure access to beef and lamb, it is recommended that livestock farmers be supported through tax exemptions to control production costs, government assistance through the introduction of highly productive livestock breeds, and improving processing flexibility. Additionally, conducting livestock sales through the livestock exchange will create a price information source allowing stakeholders to follow price movements in a digital format and their decision-making.

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