It is generally accepted that fiscal decentralization increases citizens’ control over politicians, fostering accountability and increasing efficiency. This article identifies the socioeconomic characteristics of citizens (potential voters) that increase their control over local policy-makers...

The first part of this report deals with the evolution of Spanish local governments throughout the non-democratic period (1950-1975) and the beginning and development of the decentralization (1978-1988). In the nineties, local authorities claimed the need to reinforce their local governments by...

Nella situazione attuale, gli effetti strutturali del patto di stabilità interno vanno considerati con ogni attenzione. Questi effetti sono “prociclici”: essi aggravano i fenomeni deflattivi che, dopo la crisi del 2008, sono oggi pesantemente in corso. L’analisi statistica condotta mostra...

France has a track record of persistent general government deficits, partly reflecting pro-cyclical fiscal policies in upswings. This has resulted in a quadrupling of its public debt-to-GDP ratio since the 1970s to above 80% of GDP. Reducing public debt is crucial because a high level of public...

In order to analyze the transfers policy among different levels of government, first it is necessary to calculate the capacity and fiscal effort of the specific region of study. This paper reviews the different methods to compute these two concepts and it also shows how the availability of...

France has a track record of persistent general government deficits, partly reflecting pro-cyclical fiscal policies in upswings. This has resulted in a quadrupling of its public debt-to-GDP ratio since the 1970s to above 80% of GDP. Reducing public debt is crucial because a high level of public...

In times of economic crisis, not only central governments but also local ones may experience deterioration in their financial situation. Also, the latter not only may but also should contribute through specific budgetary measures to the stabilization and recovery of the economy. Based on such...

France has a track record of persistent general government deficits, partly reflecting pro-cyclical fiscal policies in upswings. This has resulted in a quadrupling of its public debt-to-GDP ratio since the 1970s to above 80% of GDP. Reducing public debt is crucial because a high level of public...

This paper first formulates a model of how the politicians in a local government collectively lobby to raise intergovernmental grants to their local government. The model identifies a relationship between council size and grants received. I then study this relationship empirically using the...

In Italy, as in other countries around the world, recent reforms share the goal of increasing the fiscal autonomy of lower tiers of governments, from Regions to Municipalities, in order to align spending with funding responsibilities and increase the efficiency in the provision of essential...