This paper exploits a natural experiment in Hesse where a reform of the electoral rule from mayor appointment by the local council towards direct mayor elections was introduced during a phase-in period from 1993 to 1998. The end of the term of the last appointed mayor varies across...

The government fragmentation hypothesis (GFH) states that coalition governments spend more than single-party governments due to an underlying common pool problem. Using a large panel data set on 604 local governments in the German state of Baden-Württemberg for the 1994-2014 period, I test the...

Abstract: Die kommunale Verschuldung hat in vielen Kommunen Dimensionen erreicht, die zukünftige Generationen noch in hohem Maße belasten werden. Hinzu kommt, dass sich die kommunale Verschuldung nicht aus umfangreichen Investitionen begründet. In vielen Kommunen gibt es vielmehr einen...