Relationship between Income and Functional Public Expenditures: Sub-Regional Level

The aim of this study is to determine the direction of the relationship between income and public expenditures in the 2005-2014 period of the Turkish economy at a sub-regional level. While Gross Domestic Product per capita was preferred as income criteria, the functional classification was used in public expenditures. In modeling variables, the specification developed by Peacock and Wiseman to test Wagner's law was used. The Regional unemployment rate was added to the right-hand side of the model as a control variable. Hypothesis tests were performed on the predicted regression models, and estimators were preferred to produce robust standard errors that would increase the effectiveness of the models. After interpreting the elasticity coefficients obtained from estimating the models, the causality relationship between income and public expenditures was determined by applying Dumitrescu and Hurlin panel causality analysis method. When the elasticity coefficients obtained from the models were examined under the model proposed by Peacock and Wiseman, it was found that the criteria that the elasticity coefficient should be greater than one were not met in all of the models. According to Dumitrescu and Hurlin panel causality test results, which were conducted to determine causality between six different public expenditures and gross domestic product, there was a two-way causality relationship between two expenditures. On the other hand, it has been determined that there is a one-way causality relationship from public expenditure towards the gross domestic product