The aim of this article is to help explain the history of the public spending-to-GDP ratio in France by examining the production of laws and regulations. It empirically finds a positive and significant relationship between the number of pages in the Official Gazette of the French Republic and the development of the public expenditure-to-GDP ratio. We rely on the number of pages in the Official Gazette as a proxy for the cost of implementing laws and regulations. If unchecked, a proliferation of laws and regulations expands public spending. Over the period 1905–2015, a 10% increase in pages caused a 1.14% increase in the public expenditure-to-GDP ratio.

中文翻译：

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法国的立法生产和公共支出

本文的目的是通过检查法律法规的产生来帮助解释法国公共支出占 GDP 比率的历史。根据经验，它发现法兰西共和国官方公报的页数与公共支出与 GDP 比率的发展之间存在积极而显着的关系。我们依靠官方公报中的页数作为执行法律和法规的成本的代理。如果不加以控制，法律法规的激增会扩大公共支出。在 1905 年至 2015 年期间，页数每增加 10%，公共支出与 GDP 的比率就会增加 1.14%。