Provides some preliminary systematic evidence on state spending and presents an abundance of descriptive statistics on spending and on the demographic and economic characteristics of the states.

How are major state revenue sources affected by the business cycle? Could changing the mix of taxes mitigate the severity of cyclical budget problems? This paper examines issues in estimating and interpreting the short–run elasticity of taxes with respect to personal income. Recent literature...

Uses national aggregate time series data to estimate the trend rate of growth and the deviation from trend for several components of state general sales and individual income tax bases. The results indicate great variety in growth and variability characteristics across tax base components.

In 1991, a property tax limitation measure was imposed in five Illinois counties. Dye and McGuire (1997) studied its short–term impact. With the limit now in effect for over a decade and extended to many more counties, we assess its long–term impact. Because jurisdictions brought under the...

A recent policy change caps the annual percentage increase in the assessed value of owner–occupied homes in Cook County, Illinois. Assuming that total revenue would remain constant, the result is relief for some financed by higher taxes on others. We estimate these tax burden shifts using data...

Examines individual participation in amnesties, both from the point of view of what economic analysis would lead us to expect and on the basis of evidence from actual amnesty programs. Concludes that amnesties are appropriate in easing the transition to enhanced enforcement and seen to generate...

Discussion of legislative and constitutional changes implemented in Michigan during 1994 and 1995 to effect school finance reform. Outlines school district spending determinations, reviews finance reform constraints, and compares school finance reform imposed on both school and states.

The ability of the federal government and states to influence educational outcomes depends on how local governments and school districts respond to intergovernmental grants; this article provides a brief primer for policymakers about the economics of education grants.

Using data from the Current Population Survey for 1997 and 2001, we estimate the probability that a consumer engages in online shopping. We use variation in sales–tax rates by county to identify the effects of the sales–tax rate in the home county and adjacent counties. We also control for...

We examine the change in the distribution of property tax payments resulting from Michigan’s imposition of a property tax assessment growth cap in 1994. The cap restricts growth in property value for tax purposes to the inflation rate, for those maintaining continuous ownership. Upon sale,...