This paper attempts to explain the stylized fact that support for a greater role of the state in the economy typically increased in response to major economic shocks. These effects persist over time and are strikingly consistent across three large surveys covering a uniquely wide geography....

Countries have adopted various institutional responses to subnational government borrowing. Using a sample of 44 countries 1982-2000, this paper provides a panel data analysis to determine the most effective borrowing constraints for containing local fiscal deficits. The results suggest that no...