Evidence from econometric studies in European and post-socialist/transition contexts demonstrates that public debt levels significantly impact and can hinder GDP growth when they exceed certain optimal thresholds.
The claim specifically asserts that public debt levels significantly impact GDP growth in post-socialist countries. Papers [1] and [9] investigate the relationship between public debt and economic growth in EU and Central/Eastern European (post-socialist/transition) countries, finding statistically significant impacts (including negative effects past certain thresholds). No papers refute this specific relationship.