This paper analyzes the lack of civic engagement in local government decision-making and the problems that result from it. I consider one explanation as viewed through public choice theory: dominant special interest groups capture local governments for their own private interests. Thus, average...

This article argues that New York municipalities should integrate land banks into the tax enforcement process to break the unhealthy cycle perpetuated by real estate and lien speculators. By transferring all tax liens and foreclosed properties to local land banks, municipalities can generate an...

Politicians are expected to influence policy outcomes in a way to gain electoral advantage. There is, however, a pending question whether efficiency in the provision of public goods and services is affected by strategic behavior. I examine how electoral cycles influence local government...

Politicians are expected to influence policy outcomes in a way to gain electoral advantage. There is, however, a pending question whether efficiency in the provision of public goods and services is affected by strategic behavior. I examine how electoral cycles influence local government...

Adam S. Wallwork is an attorney in the public finance and tax departments of Ballard Spahr LLP in Washington, D.C. In this article, Wallwork shows how tax reform has affected the municipal bond market and why Republicans should care

In cities around the country, huge swaths of property in desirable locations house only empty warehouses, barely-used shipping facilities, and heavily subsidized industrial-age factories, often right across the street from high-end condos and office buildings. The reason is a widely-used, but...

The paper investigates the intertemporal spending behavior of Scandinavian local governments with particular attention to liquidity constraints imposed by balanced-budget-rules and other regulations. The main finding is that Danish local governments are more able to smooth current expenditures...

Die Landeseinnahmen werden in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in den kommenden Jahren sinken, da die Zuweisungen im Rahmen des Länderfinanzausgleichs wegen der abnehmenden Bevölkerungszahl, rückläufiger Zahlungen aus den EU-Fonds sowie der Degression des Solidarpaktes II zurückgehen. Dies wird auch...

Infolge der Regionalisierung von Wirtschafts- und Strukturpolitik entstehen entweder vollkommen neue Institutionen (horizontale Regionalisierung) oder Institutionen mit neuen Kompetenzen (vertikale Regionalisierung). Der Erfolg einer Regionalisierungspolitik läßt sich am Grad der...