the different regions of Germany. In contrast, within these particular geographic areas, only slight sequence differences were found in longitudinal analysis over several years. This conclusion is supported by the novel human Waldkirchen sequence (H72), which is almost identical to the BF strains from 2004 (6,10) and the similarity of newly derived human sequences from Munsterland (H208, H303) ...

This paper examines whether decentralization increases the responsiveness of public investment to local needs using a unique database from Bolivia. Empirical tests show that investment patterns in human capital and social services changed significantly after decentralization. These changes are strongly and positively related to objective indicators of need. Nationally, these changes were driven...

This paper models voters’ preferences over central versus local education policies when there are private alternatives. Education is financed by income taxes and individuals are mobile between communities. Public education levels are chosen by majority vote. Contrary to conventional wisdom, centralisation may benefit the rich and poor, while the middle class prefer decentralised education. The ...

This paper studies public sector pension obligations, the biggest fiscal challenge currently facing many US cities. Employing a regression discontinuity design around close elections, benefit payments out of city’s pensions are shown to grow faster under Democratic party mayors, while contributions into do not. Previous research showed that parties not matter for wide range cities’ expenditures...

during the last two decades, decentralization has been supposed as a tool for making the public sector policies more efficient. despite the claimed benefits, there are some costs; some of decentralization theorists believe that devolution of pure public goods provision to local governments has led to the failure of decentralization policies. this article uses game theory to study the implicatio...

abstract: decentralization is a process in which local affairs are administrated by local authorities outside of activities of the central government. today, decentralization policy is considered as one of the ways that most countries adopted to improve public sector performance. in this paper using geometric analysis, innovation that this paper represents, an econometric model is considered to...

ABSTRACT We investigate the effects of state economic activity on association changes in general fund (i.e., net revenue) and borrowing cost. Extant literature has established that revenue is associated with municipal bond market metrics (e.g., true interest cost, yield spreads). Little known, however, regarding relationship between cost when considered. Based a sample 1,970 obligations bonds i...

Partisanship of state governors affects the efficacy US federal fiscal policy. Using close election data, we find partisan differences in marginal propensity to spend intergovernmental transfers: Republican less than Democratic governors. Correspondingly, Republican-led states have lower debt, (delayed) taxes, and initially economic activity. A New Keynesian model a monetary union implies sizab...

Elected representatives have little incentive to pursue the interests of those electing them once they are elected. This well-known principle-agent problem leads, in a variety of theories of government, to nonoptimally large levels of government expenditure. An implication is that budgetary rules are seen as necessary to constrain politicians’ tax and spending behavior. Popular among such const...