متطلبات ترشيد الإنفاق العام في الجزائر في ظل تقلبات أسعار النفط

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the performance of public spending policy in Algeria by examining the extent to which the state adheres to the criteria related to the competence and effectiveness of utilizing its oil revenues. It also aims to highlight the importance of adopting a policy for rationalizing public expenditure and providing the necessary foundations for that, particularly in the context of a volatile oil market and an expansive spending policy that is difficult to abandon. The study concluded that oil resources play a crucial and central role in directing public spending policy in Algeria. The financial abundance that Algeria has known, resulting from rising oil prices, has encouraged the abandonment of economic rationality and a doubling of expenditures without regard for their efficiency. As a result, this spending seemed to be almost random and lost its positive significance as a catalyst for economic growth. Therefore, the study recommended the necessity of changing the stereotypical image that has characterized the Algerian economy for decades as a rentier economy par excellence, and to work on disconnecting it from oil resources. This implicitly means seeking stable, diverse, and, most importantly, sustainable financial resources. The spending policy should be based on clear objectives and carefully selected priorities, which will undoubtedly ensure a better distribution of state resources and direct them appropriately. Finally, the study emphasized the importance of continuous calls for rationalizing public expenditure; instead of being a temporary policy, rationalization should become a permanent strategy that remains essential during both prosperous times and times of hardship.