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A Second-Best Theory of Local Government Policy

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  • Dietmar Wellisch
  • Jorg Hülshorst

Abstract

This paper provides a model where a large number of small jurisdictions compete for mobile firms and households by supplying local public goods and factors. Jurisdictions only have an incomplete set of tax instruments at their disposal to achieve an efficient allocation. We derive second-best behavioral rules for local governments and extend optimal taxation results to the local level. Local governments distort locational decisions of mobile firms and households by taxing them above marginal congestion costs so as to balance relative locational distortions between taxes. The analysis also reveals that there is a systematic difference between the provision of local public goods and factors. While local public goods are provided according to the Samuelson rule in most situations considered, local public factors are undersupplied relative to this rule. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 2000

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  • Dietmar Wellisch & Jorg Hülshorst, 2000. "A Second-Best Theory of Local Government Policy," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 7(1), pages 5-22, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:itaxpf:v:7:y:2000:i:1:p:5-22
    DOI: 10.1023/A:1008749628237
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    Cited by:

    1. Tidiane Ly, 2018. "Sub-metropolitan tax competition with household and capital mobility," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 25(5), pages 1129-1169, October.
    2. Wallace E. Oates & Wallace E. Oates, 2004. "Fiscal Competition and European Union: Contrasting Perspectives," Chapters, in: Environmental Policy and Fiscal Federalism, chapter 10, pages 182-194, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    3. Soldatos, Gerasimos T., 2014. "Local Taxation, Private-Public Consumption Complementarity, and the Optimal Number of Jurisdictions," MPRA Paper 60861, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Fuest Clemens & Riphahn Regina, 2001. "Is the Local Business Tax a User Tax? An Empirical Investigation for Germany / Ist die Gewerbesteuer eine Äquivalenzsteuer? Eine empirische Analyse für Deutschland," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 221(1), pages 14-31, February.
    5. Ly, Tidiane & Paty, Sonia, 2020. "Local taxation and tax base mobility: Evidence from France," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    6. Sonia Paty & Tidiane Ly, 2017. "Local taxation and tax base mobility: Evidence from a business tax reform in France," Post-Print halshs-01679043, HAL.
    7. Tidiane Ly, 2019. "Taxes, traffic jam and spillover in the metropolis," Working Papers halshs-02283118, HAL.
    8. Tidiane Ly & Sonia Paty, 2018. "Local Taxation and Tax Base Mobility: Evidence from the French business tax reform," Working Papers halshs-01812611, HAL.
    9. Robert Philipowski, 2017. "Locational efficiency in a federal system without land rent taxation," Review of Regional Research: Jahrbuch für Regionalwissenschaft, Springer;Gesellschaft für Regionalforschung (GfR), vol. 37(1), pages 91-102, February.
    10. Tidiane Ly, 2019. "Taxes, traffic jam and spillover in the metropolis," Working Papers halshs-02275672, HAL.
    11. Tidiane Ly, 2019. "Taxes, traffic jam and spillover in the metropolis," Working Papers 1925, Groupe d'Analyse et de Théorie Economique Lyon St-Étienne (GATE Lyon St-Étienne), Université de Lyon.

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    Keywords

    optimal taxation; local government finance;

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