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Towards a Puviani’s Fiscal Illusion Index

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  • Paulo Reis Mourao

    (Australian National University)

Abstract

This paper presents an index of Fiscal Illusion for 68 democratic countries from 1960 to 2006. The theory of Fiscal Illusion studied relates to a wrong perception of government budget aggregates from the voters’ and taxpayers’ perspectives. In the construction of the index, methodological issues were carefully taken into account. The results obtained reveal that Fiscal Illusion varies greatly around the world. Countries such as Mali, Pakistan, Russia, and Sri Lanka have the highest average values over the time period considered, while Austria, Luxembourg, Netherlands, and New Zealand have the lowest. Regarding the time dimension, between 1980 and 1995 there was a significant decrease in the average value of the index across countries, suggesting a reduction in the adoption of Fiscal Illusion practices during this period. After 1995, the index remained stable in most countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Paulo Reis Mourao, 2008. "Towards a Puviani’s Fiscal Illusion Index," Hacienda Pública Española / Review of Public Economics, IEF, vol. 187(4), pages 49-86, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:hpe:journl:y:2008:v:187:i:4:p:49-86
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    Cited by:

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    3. Pavel A. Yakovlev, 2011. "In uncertainty we trust: a median voter model with risk aversion," Financial Theory and Practice, Institute of Public Finance, vol. 35(4), pages 465-477.
    4. Hotak, Nematullah & Kaneko, Shinji, 2022. "Fiscal illusion of the stated preferences of government officials regarding interministerial policy packages: A case study on child labor in Afghanistan," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 285-298.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Fiscal Illusion; Indexes/Indicators; Democracy.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C82 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Data Collection and Data Estimation Methodology; Computer Programs - - - Methodology for Collecting, Estimating, and Organizing Macroeconomic Data; Data Access
    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory
    • H11 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government - - - Structure and Scope of Government
    • H30 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - General

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