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The Provision of Public Services by Government Funded Decentralized Agencies

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  • Boadway, Robin
  • Horiba, Isao
  • Jha, Raghbendra

Abstract

Public services are often provided by lower level agencies that are funded by higher level government. Since markets for such services do not exist, normal pressures to minimize costs do not operate; indeed, usually these costs are unobservable. We study a principal-agent model which emphasizes the distinction between the financing and provision of public services. Two broad situations are analyzed: (i) the agencies are induced to reveal true costs; and (ii) in addition, to minimize costs, agencies must be induced to exert effort. The characteristics of the optimal funding contract and the marginal cost of public funds are derived in each case. Copyright 1999 by Kluwer Academic Publishers

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  • Boadway, Robin & Horiba, Isao & Jha, Raghbendra, 1999. "The Provision of Public Services by Government Funded Decentralized Agencies," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 100(3-4), pages 157-184, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:pubcho:v:100:y:1999:i:3-4:p:157-84
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    Cited by:

    1. Brunet, Alexia, 2005. "Protecting Our Homeland: Incorporating Vulnerability to Terrorism in State Homeland Security Grants," 2005 Annual meeting, July 24-27, Providence, RI 19380, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    2. Sanjit Dhami & Ali Al‐Nowaihi, 2007. "Optimal Distribution Of Powers In A Federation: A Simple, Unified Framework," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(3), pages 197-229, July.
    3. Robin Boadway, 1998. "The Mirrlees Approach to the Theory of Economic Policy," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 5(1), pages 67-81, February.
    4. Borge, Lars-Erik & Rattsø, Jørn, 2008. "Property taxation as incentive for cost control: Empirical evidence for utility services in Norway," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 52(6), pages 1035-1054, August.
    5. Jha,R., 2000. "Reducing Poverty and Inequality in India: Has Liberalization Helped?," Research Paper 204, World Institute for Development Economics Research.
    6. List, John A & Bulte, Erwin H & Shogren, Jason F, 2002. ""Beggar Thy Neighbor": Testing for Free Riding in State-Level Endangered Species Expenditures," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 111(3-4), pages 303-315, June.
    7. Ivo Bischoff & Frédéric Blaeschke, 2013. "Incentives and Influence Activities in the Public Sector: the Trade-off in Performance Budgeting and Conditional Grants," MAGKS Papers on Economics 201320, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).
    8. Michael Lundholm, 2008. "Decentralizing Public Goods Production," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 10(2), pages 259-279, April.
    9. Ivo Bischoff & Frédéric Blaeschke, 2012. "Window-Dressing and Lobbying in Performance-Budgeting: a Model for the Public Sector," MAGKS Papers on Economics 201212, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).
    10. Kolmar, Martin, 2002. "Income redistribution in an economic union: Does asymmetric information legitimize centralization?," Discussion Papers, Series I 317, University of Konstanz, Department of Economics.
    11. Bischoff, Ivo, 2008. "Conditional Grants, Grant-Seeking and Welfare when there is Government Failure on the Subordinate Level," ZEW Discussion Papers 08-031, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    12. Krause, Günter, 2004. "The provision of public inputs in a federation under asymmetric information," W.E.P. - Würzburg Economic Papers 52, University of Würzburg, Department of Economics.
    13. Boadway, Robin & Tremblay, Jean-François, 2012. "Reassessment of the Tiebout model," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(11), pages 1063-1078.
    14. Breuille, Marie-Laure & Gary-Bobo, Robert J., 2007. "Sharing budgetary austerity under free mobility and asymmetric information: An optimal regulation approach to fiscal federalism," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(5-6), pages 1177-1196, June.
    15. Besfamille, Martin, 2004. "Local public works and intergovernmental transfers under asymmetric information," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(1-2), pages 353-375, January.
    16. Olga Chiappinelli, 2020. "Decentralization And Public Procurement Performance: New Evidence From Italy," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 58(2), pages 856-880, April.
    17. Krause, Günter, 2004. "On the role of budgeting in the delegated provision of public goods under asymmetric information," W.E.P. - Würzburg Economic Papers 51, University of Würzburg, Department of Economics.
    18. Becerra, Ligia Melo, 2004. "Intergovernmental fiscal relations : the Colombian case," Economics PhD Theses 0304, Department of Economics, University of Sussex Business School.
    19. Sören Blomquist & Luca Micheletto, 2009. "Nonlinear Income Taxation And Matching Grants In A Federation With Decentralized In-Kind Transfers," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 50(2), pages 543-575, May.
    20. Guy Gilbert & Alain Guengant, 2002. "L'économie publique locale quinze ans après : entre espace et territoire," Revue d'économie régionale et urbaine, Armand Colin, vol. 0(1), pages 157-182.
    21. Guccio, Calogero & Pignataro, Giacomo & Rizzo, Ilde, 2014. "Do local governments do it better? Analysis of time performance in the execution of public works," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 237-252.
    22. Masayoshi Hayashi, 2010. "Redistribution and Local Public Finance," Public Policy Review, Policy Research Institute, Ministry of Finance Japan, vol. 6(1), pages 31-54, February.
    23. Darong Dai & Weige Huang & Liqun Liu & Guoqiang Tian, 2022. "Optimal Regional Insurance Provision: Do Federal Transfers Complement Local Debt?," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 137(1), pages 35-80, September.

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