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Fiscal adjustments at the local level: evidence from Colombia

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  • Richard Jaimes

    (Tilburg University)

Abstract

Recent research suggests that intergovernmental grants, own-source revenues, and changes in government investment play a crucial role in helping local governments in advanced economies to adjust their fiscal positions in response to budget shocks. Little is known, however, about the dynamic of local fiscal adjustments in emerging economies, and there are reasons to expect distinct fiscal stabilization patterns, for instance, due to lower fiscal capacity. A panel dataset of more than 900 municipalities in Colombia shows that in line with some of the results for developed countries: (1) intergovernmental grants react significantly to increases in government spending; (2) the response of own-source revenues to innovations in government spending in large cities is higher than in the small ones; (3) government investment is highly volatile and responds to innovations in all other budgetary components; and (4) there is no empirical evidence of a reduction in fiscal effort following increases in intergovernmental grants.

Suggested Citation

  • Richard Jaimes, 2020. "Fiscal adjustments at the local level: evidence from Colombia," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 27(5), pages 1148-1173, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:kap:itaxpf:v:27:y:2020:i:5:d:10.1007_s10797-020-09598-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s10797-020-09598-2
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    1. Gerson Javier Pérez-Valbuena & Paula Barrios, 2022. "Subnational fiscal accounts under pressure: the effects of COVID-19 in a developing country," Documentos de trabajo sobre Economía Regional y Urbana 306, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Fiscal adjustment; Local fiscal policy; Fiscal decentralization;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H70 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - General
    • H72 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Budget and Expenditures
    • H77 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - Intergovernmental Relations; Federalism

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