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Interregional Disparities in Productivity and the Choice of Fiscal Regime
Author(s) -
TERAI KIMIKO
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of public economic theory
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.809
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 1467-9779
pISSN - 1097-3923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9779.2009.01415.x
Subject(s) - productivity , linkage (software) , economics , public economics , public good , fiscal policy , microeconomics , macroeconomics , biochemistry , chemistry , gene
Two districts with divergent productivity levels engage in policy‐making on the provision of local public goods that enhance future income and hence create a dynamic linkage across periods. The policy choices of district representatives are derived under alternative fiscal systems, and the relative merits of the systems are evaluated. It is predicted that a decentralized system is more likely to be selected in a more equal society. On the other hand, when a great deal of benefit spills over from a local public good, or when policy makers are expected to care solely about the immediate effects of their decisions on their districts, a centralized system is more likely to be selected.