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Fiscal Decentralization and Regional Disparities: Evidence from Several European Union Countries

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  • Roberto Ezcurra
  • Pedro Pascual

Abstract

This paper investigates for the first time the relationship between fiscal decentralization and regional disparities in a set of European Union countries. Our findings reveal that the devolution of fiscal power to subnational governments is negatively correlated with the level of regional inequality within the sample countries. Therefore, the processes of fiscal decentralization may contribute to a more balanced distribution of resources across space, making up for the central government's loss of redistributive power. In fact, this result is robust to the inclusion of additional explanatory variables in the analysis, and to the choice of the measure used to quantify the degree of dispersion in the spatial distribution of per capita income.

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  • Roberto Ezcurra & Pedro Pascual, 2008. "Fiscal Decentralization and Regional Disparities: Evidence from Several European Union Countries," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 40(5), pages 1185-1201, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:40:y:2008:i:5:p:1185-1201
    DOI: 10.1068/a39195
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    Cited by:

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    2. Dotti, Nicola Francesco, 2018. "Knowledge that matters for the ‘survival of unfittest’: The case of the new Brussels' rail junction," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 131-140.
    3. Flamand, Sabine, 2019. "Partial decentralization as a way to prevent secessionist conflict," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 159-178.
    4. Christian Lessmann, 2012. "Regional Inequality and Decentralization: An Empirical Analysis," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 44(6), pages 1363-1388, June.
    5. Cerciello, Massimiliano & Agovino, Massimiliano & Garofalo, Antonio, 2019. "The caring hand that cripples? The effects of the European regional policy on local labour market participation in Southern Italy," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    6. Leonel Muinelo-Gallo & Adrián Rodríguez-Miranda & Pablo Castro-Scavone, 2016. "Intergovernmental Transfers and Regional Income Inequalities: An Empirical Analysis of Uruguay," Hacienda Pública Española / Review of Public Economics, IEF, vol. 219(4), pages 9-34, December.
    7. Yuanshuo Xu & Mildred E Warner, 2016. "Does devolution crowd out development? A spatial analysis of US local government fiscal effort," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 48(5), pages 871-890, May.
    8. Javier Mart n-Rom n & Luis Ayala & Juan Vicente, 2017. "Regional inequality in decentralized countries: a multi-country analysis using LIS," LIS Working papers 697, LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg.
    9. Roberto Ezcurra & Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, 2017. "Does ethnic segregation matter for spatial inequality?," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 17(6), pages 1149-1178.
    10. Díaz Serrano, Lluís & Meix Llop, Enric, 2018. "Decentralization and the Quality of Public Services: Cross-Country Evidence from Educational Data," Working Papers 2072/351581, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Department of Economics.
    11. Rodríguez-Pose, Andrés & Diaz-Serrano, Luis, 2011. "Decentralization, Happiness, and the Perception of Institutions," CEPR Discussion Papers 8356, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    12. Yongzheng Liu & Jorge Martinez-Vazquez & Alfred M. Wu, 2017. "Fiscal decentralization, equalization, and intra-provincial inequality in China," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 24(2), pages 248-281, April.
    13. Robert Musil, 2014. "European Global Cities in the Recent Economic Crisis," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 105(4), pages 492-503, September.
    14. Riatu M. Qibthiyyah, 2017. "Provinces and Local Government Revenues Structures and Intra-Province Economic Disparity," Economics and Finance in Indonesia, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Indonesia, vol. 63, pages 81-96, June.
    15. Euijune Kim & Yasir Niti Samudro, 2017. "The impact of intergovernmental transfer funds on interregional income disparity in Indonesia," International Journal of Urban Sciences, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(1), pages 22-40, January.
    16. Muinelo-Gallo, Leonel & Rodriguez-Miranda, Adrián & Castro-Scavone, Pablo, 2017. "Intergovernmental transfers and regional income inequalities in Uruguay," MPRA Paper 76983, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Sehrish Shahzad & Bushra Yasmin, 2016. "Does Fiscal Decentralisation Matter for Poverty and Income Inequality in Pakistan?," The Pakistan Development Review, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, vol. 55(4), pages 781-802.

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