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How Significant are Fiscal Interactions in Federations? A Meta-Regression Analysis

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  • Joan Costa-i-Font
  • Filipe De-Albuquerque
  • Hristos Doucouliagos

Abstract

A large literature examines government fiscal interactions in federations. However, the empirical evidence is scattered and inconclusive, especially with respect to the size of interactions, as well as the institutional and economic determinants underpinning them. This paper uses meta-regression analysis to quantify the size of these inter-jurisdictional fiscal interactions and to explain the heterogeneity in empirical estimates. First, we find significantly stronger interactions among municipalities and nations than among intermediate levels of government. Second, tax interactions are, in general, stronger than expenditure interactions, and horizontal tax interactions appear to be stronger than vertical interactions. Third, both tax competition and yardstick competition are supported by the data, though the former appears to produce stronger interactions. Fourth, capital controls, voter turnout and the design of decentralization all shape fiscal interactions; political competition and fiscal decentralization both increase horizontal tax competition and they decrease vertical tax competition. Finally, much of the variation between estimates can be explained by country heterogeneity, differences in econometric specification and estimation strategies.

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  • Joan Costa-i-Font & Filipe De-Albuquerque & Hristos Doucouliagos, 2011. "How Significant are Fiscal Interactions in Federations? A Meta-Regression Analysis," CESifo Working Paper Series 3517, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_3517
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    3. Hans Pitlik & Christina Seyfried, 2016. "Steuerautonomie der Schweizer Kantone: Vorbild für Österreich?," WIFO Monatsberichte (monthly reports), WIFO, vol. 89(6), pages 423-435, June.
    4. Correa, Paulo & Andres, Luis & Borja-Vega, Christian, 2013. "The impact of government support on firm R&D investments : a meta-analysis," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6532, The World Bank.
    5. John P. A. Ioannidis & T. D. Stanley & Hristos Doucouliagos, 2017. "The Power of Bias in Economics Research," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 127(605), pages 236-265, October.
    6. Jhon J. Mora & Juan Muro, 2020. "Wage–employment elasticity: a meta-analysis referring to Colombia," Journal of Economic Studies, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 47(6), pages 1495-1505, April.
    7. Hawley, Zackary & Rork, Jonathan C., 2015. "Competition and property tax limit overrides: Revisiting Massachusetts' Proposition 2½," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 93-107.
    8. repec:wly:econjl:v::y:2017:i:605:p:f236-f265 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Shun-ichiro Bessho & Yoko Ibuka, 2016. "Vaccination policy of Japanese municipalities," Keio-IES Discussion Paper Series 2016-004, Institute for Economics Studies, Keio University.
    10. Cavalieri, Marina & Ferrante, Livio, 2016. "Does fiscal decentralization improve health outcomes? Evidence from infant mortality in Italy," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 74-88.
    11. Francisco Bastida & Bernardino Benito & Maria-Dolores Guillamon, 2019. "Tax mimicking in Spanish municipalities: expenditure spillovers, yardstick competition, or tax competition?," Public Sector Economics, Institute of Public Finance, vol. 43(2), pages 115-139.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    fiscal interactions; meta-regression; inter-governmental competition; yardstick competition;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H50 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - General
    • H73 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - Interjurisdictional Differentials and Their Effects
    • R10 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - General

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