OPPORTUNITY COST OF DEFENSE: AN EVALUATION IN THE CASE OF FRANCE

Abstract

The aim of this article is to explore the defense--growth relationship in France. In particular, in the context of the crisis, we would like to compare the effects of military and nonmilitary spending on growth. Our results reveal that this is a complex relationship with a bidirectional causality. In the long run, defense expenditure exerts a positive influence and outperforms the impact of nondefense expenditure. However, an opportunity cost arises in the short run.