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Electoral rules and public expenditure composition: Evidence from Italian regions

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  • Raffaella SANTOLINI

    (Universit… Politecnica delle Marche, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche e Sociali)

Abstract

The paper investigates the effects produced by the electoral system on expenditure composition by exploring the case of Italian regions over the period 1986-2009. Empirical analysis shows that the regional current expenditure transfers distributed to families and firms significantly decrease when the regional electoral system moves from being proportional to mixed. Particularly striking is the reduction in pre-electoral years under the regional mixed-regime. Although not robust across different empirical specifications, an increase in the regional expenditure on local public goods is found when the regional electoral system becomes mixed.

Suggested Citation

  • Raffaella SANTOLINI, 2013. "Electoral rules and public expenditure composition: Evidence from Italian regions," Working Papers 396, Universita' Politecnica delle Marche (I), Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche e Sociali.
    • Handle: RePEc:anc:wpaper:396
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    local institutional design; panel data analysis; public expenditure composition; regional government;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • H30 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - General
    • H72 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Budget and Expenditures

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