A simple theory suggests that a common form of federal horizontal equalization grants shouldcause subnational governments to levy higher tax rates, distorting local tax bases and soincreasing federal transfers. To test this, I examine Canadian provincial tax policies in the1972-2002 period....

We consider a model of a TV oligopoly where TV channels transmit advertising and viewersdislike such commercials. We show that advertisers make a lower profit the larger the numberof TV channels. If TV channels are sufficiently close substitutes, there will be underprovisionof advertising...

This paper investigates replacing separate taxation by consolidation and formularyapportionment in a Bottom-up Federation, when a multijurisdictional firm is mobile invarious respects. The reform is decided cooperatively by all the jurisdictions or by some ofthem, while tax rates remain within...

This paper analyzes the impact of taxes and lending conditions on the financial structure ofmultinationals' foreign affiliates. The empirical analysis employs a large panel of affiliates ofGerman multinationals in 26 countries in the period from 1996 until 2003. In accordance withthe theoretical...

This paper uses German evidence to address two questions about corporate governance. Theeffects of ownership on corporate governance have received much recent attention, but verylittle of this has been devoted to the appropriate way to measure firm ownership. The resultsof this paper show that...

It is widely recognized that "market failure" prevents efficient risksharing in natural disaster insurance. As a consequence, many countriesadopted institutional frameworks presenting public sector participation,often praised as public-private partnerships. We define risk selection asa situation...

High inequality in incomes and assets and persistent poverty continue to plague Latin America and remain a central economic policy challenge for Latin American policymakers. At the same time, dramatically improved methods and data allow researchers to analyze these problems and how they are...

Many countries have experienced major economic changes since the mid-1980s as a result of the deregulation and liberalization of national financial systems – two key aspects of globalization – with some experiencing boom and bust in rapid succession. The small Northern European country of...