Relationship between GDP and Public Finances in Ecuador: Impact on fiscal stability and indebtedness
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-88702026000100037Keywords:
Fiscal Policy, Debt Management, Public Spending, Macroeconomic AnalysisAbstract
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and public finances are essential for assessing a country’s economic health. In Ecuador, these variables have been influenced by fiscal policies and economic fluctuations, particularly due to dollarization and dependence on oil. This study evaluates the relationship between GDP and the General Government Fiscal Revenue (IFGG) in Ecuador, using quarterly data from the 2006–2023 period. Through VAR models, Johansen cointegration tests, and Granger causality analysis, a long-run equilibrium and bidirectional relationship is identified. The VAR model shows that previous quarter GDP positively influences current IFGG. However, fiscal elasticity is inelastic, indicating limited tax responsiveness to economic growth. Impulse-response and variance decomposition analyses reinforce this interdependence. The study concludes that while economic growth boosts fiscal revenue, fiscal sustainability requires structural reforms and countercyclical policies to strengthen revenue collection and control public spending
Downloads
References
Acemoglu, D. (2009). Teoría, equilibrio general y economía política en la economía del desarrollo [Theory, general equilibrium and political economy in development economics]. Revista de Perspectivas Económicas, 24(3), 17–32.
Aghion, P., & Howitt, P. (1988). Capital accumulation and innovation as complementary factors in long-run growth. Journal of Economic Growth, 3(2), 111–130. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009769717601
Aguilar, D., Urdaneta, A., & Mancilla, A. (2023). Relaciones de endogeneidad y cointegración entre la recaudación tributaria, Producto Interno Bruto e inversión bruta del sector privado en el Ecuador 2000-2021 [Endogeneity and cointegration relationships between tax revenue, gross domestic product and gross private sector investment in Ecuador 2000-2021]. Perspectivas, 26(52), 27–60.
Alava, J. J., & Guevara, A. (2021). A critical narrative of Ecuador's preparedness and response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Public Health in Practice, 2, Article 100127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhip.2021.100127
Alesina, A., & Ardagna, S. (2010). Large changes in fiscal policy: Taxes versus spending. Tax Policy and the Economy, 24(1), 36–62. https://doi.org/10.1086/649828
Alesina, A., Favero, C., & Giavazzi, F. (2019). Austerity: When it works and when it doesn't. Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvc77f4b
Alvarado, M., & Arevalo, M. (2020). Posibles medidas de política económica en el contexto actual y post-Covid-19: Caso Ecuador [Possible economic policy measures in the current and post-Covid-19 context: The case of Ecuador]. Sur Academia, 7(14), 59–73. https://doi.org/10.54753/suracademia.v7i14.727
Ardanaz, M., & Izquierdo, A. (2022). Current expenditure upswings in good times and public investment downswings in bad times? New evidence from developing countries. Journal of Comparative Economics, 50(1), 118–134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jce.2021.06.002
Arroyo, F., Fatas, A., & Vasishtha, G. (2024). The macroeconomic consequences of increased fiscal policy volatility over a 30-year period. International Review of Economics and Finance, 72, 758–777. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iref.2024.01.04
Auerbach, A., & Gorodnichenko, Y. (2012). Measuring the output responses to fiscal policy. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 4(2), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1257/pol.4.2.1
Baque, C., Salazar, G., & Jaime, P. (2020). Análisis de la estructura fiscal en Ecuador [Analysis of the fiscal structure in Ecuador]. Revista de Ciencias Económicas, 24(2), 85–97.
Bernat, G. (2023). Estimación del multiplicador del gasto público en ciencia, tecnología e innovación [Estimation of the multiplier of public spending on science, technology and innovation]. Ciencia, Tecnología y Política, 6(11), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.24215/26183188e102
Carranza, L., & Moran, R. (2020). Fiscal rules and economic performance in Ecuador: Lessons from a decade of experience. Journal of Economic Policy Reform, 23(3), 215–233. https://doi.org/10.1080/17487870.2019.1689943
Cespedes, L., Chang, R., & Velasco, A. (2020). Financial crises and fiscal policy: Evidence from the EMU. Journal of International Economics, 23(3), 103–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinteco.2020.103263
Contreras, V., & Saltos, C. (2014). Estudio de la recaudación del impuesto al valor agregado y su incidencia en la política social de Ecuador período 2000-2012 [Study of value added tax collection and its incidence on social policy in Ecuador, 2000-2012] [Tesis, Universidad de Guayaquil]. https://repositorio.ug.edu.ec/server/api/core/bitstreams/ade6356f-4e1a-4ed9-baf6-2e51fb3c8c0e/content
Corsetti, G., & Dedola, L. (2021). Macroeconomic stabilization, monetary-fiscal interactions, and Europe's economic recovery. European Economic Review, 134, Article 103678. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroecorev.2021.103678
Creswell, J. (2014). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Sage.
Daly, H., Ahmed Abdulrahman, B. M., Awad Khader Ahmed, S., Elshazali Yahia Abdallah, A., Hassan Elaageb Hasab Elkarim, S., Sahal Gomaa Sahal, M., & Elshaabany, M. M. (2024). The dynamic relationships between oil products consumption and economic growth in Saudi Arabia: Using ARDL cointegration and Toda-Yamamoto Granger causality analysis. Energy Strategy Reviews, 54, Article 101470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esr.2024.101470
Delgado-Bello, C., Maroto, A., & Atienza, M. (2023). Resiliencia económica en las regiones de Chile: El rol de la competitividad regional en las crisis asiática y financiera [Economic resilience in the regions of Chile: The role of regional competitiveness in the Asian and financial crises]. EURE, 49(146), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.7764/eure.49.146.01
Enders, W. (2014). Applied econometric time series. Wiley.
Engle, R., & Granger, C. (1987). Cointegration and error correction: Representation, estimation, and testing. Econometrica, 55(2), 251–276.
Ferreira de Mendonça, H., & Pires Tiberto, B. (2024). Are prudent monetary and fiscal policy drivers of FDI inflows? Latin American Journal of Central Banking, 5(1), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.latcb.2024.100120
Fondo Monetario Internacional. (2020). Fiscal monitor: Policies for the recovery.
Garabiza, F., Casanova, A., & Exposito, J. (2023). La estructura productiva de Ecuador y su relación con el crecimiento económico [Ecuador's productive structure and its relationship with economic growth]. Economía y Desarrollo, 56(2), 105–121.
Gujarati, D., & Porter, D. (2009). Basic econometrics (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Gutierrez, M., Cornejo, A., & Chango, R. (2020). Estrategias fiscales para la recaudación en Ecuador: Análisis de la amnistía tributaria [Fiscal strategies for revenue collection in Ecuador: Analysis of the tax amnesty]. Cuadernos de Economía, 40(2), 103–119.
Hernandez-Nuñez, I. E. (2022). Incidencia en otorgamiento de crédito a inversión privada por adquisición de deuda pública doméstica del sistema bancario hondureño: Efecto expulsión [Incidence on the granting of credit to private investment from the acquisition of domestic public debt by the Honduran banking system: Crowding-out effect]. Revista Universidad y Sociedad, 14(6), 752–767. http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?pid=S2218-36202022000600752&script=sci_arttext&tlng=pt
Izquierdo, A., & Talvi, E. (2021). The fiscal consequences of dollarization. Journal of Development Economics, 104(2), 215–233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2020.103611
Keynes, J. (1936). The general theory of employment, interest, and money. Macmillan.
Korab, P., Fidrmuc, J., & Dibooglu, S. (2023). Growth and inflation tradeoffs of dollarization: Meta-analysis evidence. Journal of International Money and Finance, 137, Article 102915. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jimonfin.2023.102915
Larch, M., Claeys, P., & Van der Wielen, W. (2024). Scarring effects of major economic downturns: The role of fiscal policy and government investment. European Journal of Political Economy, 90, 1–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2024.102509
Lopez, D. M. (2020). La gobernanza fiscal de las Comunidades Autónomas: Una valoración crítica de su estado actual con perspectivas de reforma [Fiscal governance of the Autonomous Communities: A critical assessment of its current state with prospects for reform]. Investigaciones Regionales - Journal of Regional Research, (47), 31–56. https://doi.org/10.38191/iirr-jorr.20.009
Lopez-Calix, J., Maldonado, R., & Rodriguez, C. (2020). Public expenditure efficiency in Ecuador: Evidence from the last decade. World Development, 133, Article 105021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105021
Lucas, R. (1988). On the mechanism of economic development. Journal of Monetary Economics, 22, 3–42.
Malla, R., Pardo, J., Herrera, F., Pardo, E., & Rodriguez, M. (2023). Evolución del presupuesto público en Ecuador: Un análisis de largo plazo [Evolution of the public budget in Ecuador: A long-term analysis]. Revista de Finanzas Públicas, 18(1), 55–72.
Martinez-Quevedo, M., Reyes-Mesones, K., & Vega-Jaramillo, F. (2022). Ecuador: Efecto de la presión fiscal sobre la recaudación tributaria. Estimación de la curva de Laffer, período 2000-2020 [Ecuador: Effect of the tax burden on tax revenue. Estimation of the Laffer curve, 2000-2020]. Revista Digital Publisher, 7(2), 71–83. https://doi.org/10.33386/593dp.2022.2.971
Mejia, M., Pino, C., & Parrales, E. (2019). Análisis de la política fiscal en Ecuador y su impacto en la economía nacional [Analysis of fiscal policy in Ecuador and its impact on the national economy]. Revista de Ciencias Económicas, 24(2), 112–128.
Mendoza Reyna, R. P., Melendez, L. V., & Davila Cisneros, J. D. (2024). La gobernanza y la optimización del gasto público: Una revisión de literatura [Governance and the optimization of public spending: A literature review]. Suma de Negocios, 15(32), 59–69. https://doi.org/10.14349/sumneg/2024.v15.n32.a7
Musgrave, R. (1959). The theory of public finance: A study in public economy. McGraw-Hill.
Nguyen, H. P., & Khieu, H. (2021). Progressive wealth tax: An inquiry into Biden's tax policy. Economic Analysis and Policy, 72, 735–742. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eap.2021.10.011
Olalla-Hernández, A., & Jacome-Gagñay, A. R. (2025). Impacto del gasto público en el crecimiento económico: Un análisis a nivel local en ciudades ecuatorianas [Impact of public spending on economic growth: A local-level analysis in Ecuadorian cities]. European Public & Social Innovation Review, 10, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.31637/epsir-2025-2008
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2021). Revenue statistics in Latin America 2021.
Ortega, L., & Pino, M. (2021). Impacto de la inseguridad en la economía ecuatoriana: Una perspectiva fiscal [Impact of insecurity on the Ecuadorian economy: A fiscal perspective]. Revista de Estudios Políticos y Económicos, 19(2), 98–114.
Qin, D., Huang, Y., Zhou, Z., Chen, W., & Zhao, J. (2022). Evaluación de la tendencia económica a través del filtro de Hodrick-Prescott: Aplicaciones en economías en desarrollo [Assessment of the economic trend through the Hodrick-Prescott filter: Applications in developing economies]. Journal of Economic Studies, 49(3), 651–669.
Reyes, V. M., Nuñez, J. C. G., Brunett, G. A. H., & Navarrete, C. A. D. (2022). Factores determinantes de la sostenibilidad en una empresa cañicultora del Ecuador [Determining factors of sustainability in a sugarcane company in Ecuador]. Revista de Ciencias Sociales, 28(1), 288–302. https://produccioncientificaluz.org/index.php/rcs/index
Rodriguez, R., Pucha, D., & Guerra, J. (2021). Recuperación económica y financiamiento en Ecuador: Una evaluación de las políticas fiscales post-crisis [Economic recovery and financing in Ecuador: An assessment of post-crisis fiscal policies]. Economía Política y Desarrollo, 39(2), 61–81.
Solorza, M. (2021). Responsible fiscal policy and economic development: A challenge for Latin America after COVID-19. International Journal of Political Economy, 50(3), 198–211. https://doi.org/10.1080/08911916.2021.1984968
Sosa-Padilla, C. (2021). Fiscal policy in a constrained environment: Lessons from emerging economies. Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, 129, Article 104097. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jedc.2021.104097
Stiglitz, J., & Rosengard, J. (2019). Economics of the public sector (5th ed.). W. W. Norton & Company.
Torres, J. (2020). Efectos del populismo en las políticas fiscales ecuatorianas [Effects of populism on Ecuadorian fiscal policies]. Revista de Política Económica, 28(1), 83–97.
Urdaneta, A., Crespo, M., Solano, J., & Borgucci, E. (2019). La dimensión del sector público en el Ecuador y su impacto a través de la política tributaria en la competitividad de las pymes [The size of the public sector in Ecuador and its impact through tax policy on the competitiveness of SMEs]. INNOVA Research Journal, 4(3.2), 217–238. https://doi.org/10.33890/innova.v4.n3.2.2019.1221
Varela-Enriquez, M., & Salazar-Espinoza, G. (2022). Políticas fiscales progresivas para empresas en el Ecuador: Evidencia en supervivencia y recaudación [Progressive fiscal policies for firms in Ecuador: Evidence on survival and revenue collection]. Revista Cuestiones Económicas, 32(2), 58–88. https://doi.org/10.47550/RCE/32.2.3
Yin, R. (2018). Case study research and applications (6th ed.). Sage.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Frank Cordovilla León, Armando Urdaneta Montiel, Ronald Prieto Pulido, Segundo Camino-Mogro

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Article usage
- ViewsTimes this article's page was opened since the journal started recording statistics. One person can visit more than once.
- 464
- DownloadsTimes the full text of this article (usually the PDF) was opened or downloaded.
- 179
All time, as recorded by the journal.
Among the top 2% by views · last 2 yearsCompared with all the journal's articles by views in the last 2 years, this one is among the top 2%.
Last 2 years: 464 views, 179 downloads.
Main countries of traffic origin:Countries this article was consulted from, according to the internet connection. They are not necessarily people. Chile 62% · United States 10% · China 3%
0.39 downloads per view (journal average 1.65).Downloads of the full text for every abstract view of this article, compared with the whole journal.
Explore the journal's metrics
