Introduction: Theme, Objectives and Structure of the Book -- Methodology: Frontier Efficiency Measurement Techniques -- Literature Review on Efficiency Studies in the Public Sector -- Applications to German Local Governments -- Summary and Conclusions

In this paper we investigate the determinants of local governments' technical efficiency in road maintenance for a panel of German counties using a broad variety of estimation approaches. More specifically, we calculate efficiency indices using non-parametric (DEA) and parametric (stochastic...

In this paper we use a simple bureaucracy model of fiscal illusion to analyze the impact of intergovernmental grants on the cost efficiency of local jurisdictions. We find that a higher degree of redistribution within a system of fiscal equalization or an increase in the amount of grants...

We investigate the political determinants of risk premiums which sub-national governments in Switzerland have to pay for their sovereign bond emissions. For this purpose we analyse financial market data from 288 tradable cantonal bonds in the period from 1981 to 2007. Our main focus is on two...

Political parties are often argued to compete for voters by stressing issues they feel they own - a strategy known as ‘selective emphasis'. While usually seen as an electorally rewarding strategy, this article argues that cultivating "your" themes in the public debate is not guaranteed to be...