The paper analyzes the impact on economic growth of public investment spending and other relevant variables (such as human capital) for nine major Latin American nations over the 1983-93 period. The results suggest that both public and private investment spending contribute to economic growth. Overall central government consumption expenditures, on the other hand, are found to have a negative effect on private investment and growth. Finally, public expenditures on education and healthcare are found to have a positive and statistically significant effect on private capital formation and long-term economic growth. From a policy standpoint, the results suggest that indiscriminate cuts in public and private investment spending are likely to be counterproductive in the long run, and more importantly, scarce public expenditures should be channeled to the promotion of new human capital (via primary and secondary education) and the maintenance of existing human capital (through healthcare expenditures).

This paper analyzes the impact on economic growth of public and private investment spending in Mexico. Public investment expenditures had a positive and significant effect on output growth. Public investment's impact on economic growth was statistically identical to the impact of private capital spending. The contribution of public investment to output expansion came at the expense of private investment as indicating a significant crowding out effect. Copyright 1997 Western Economic Association International.

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