We exploit time and spatial variation generated by the commodities boom to measure the effect of natural resources on human capital formation in Peru, a country with low governance indicators. Combining test scores from over two million students and district-level administrative data on mining...

Using the exogenous variability in intergovernmental transfers and hydrocarbon royalties, based on the fiscal regime that prevailed in Argentina from 1988 to 2003, we jointly estimate the effects that changes in these public revenues had on provincial public consumption and debt. When receiving...

The paper highlights the importance of the design of the fiscal features of the federal system of government in ensuring that potential benefits from its adoption are realized. This economic literature on fiscal federalism posits a framework that delineates the potential benefits ensuing from...