This paper presents an empirical analysis of the determinants of fee income in Norwegian local governments. The point of departure is a representative voter model emphasizing the effects of pure economic variables. The benchmark model is extended by including two aspects of the political system:...

To understand the role of political parties in public budget making, we need separate data about spending preferences and budgetary outcomes. In this paper we employ such data to discriminate between different models of how competing party preferences are transformed into policy outcomes. In the...

A partial adjustment model with endogenous speed of adjustment is developed to analyze how pressure from interest groups and mass media influence the adjustment process of local governments. A survey questionnaire to the local politicians is used to measure the pressure indicators. Based on a...

Reform offers economic gains for society at large, but can represent a threat to the interests of public employees. Public sector reform faces opposition from voters employed in public sector. Norwegian data allow for an analysis this interpretation. Survey data show that public employees prefer...