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Does the Quality of Public Finance Enhance Fiscal Discipline in the European Union? A Cross-Country Analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Alessandro Giosi

    (Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata")

  • Silvia Testarmata

    (Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata")

  • Sandro Brunelli

    (Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata")

  • Bianca Staglianò

    (Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata")

Abstract

The concept of Quality of Public Finance has become of high importance over time. It focuses on the role that public finance and fiscal policy can play to sustain economic growth, employment and competitiveness in the context of European strategy (Lisbon strategy and, now, Europe 2020). Stemming from a normative and theoretical framework we built a questionnaire to make an assessment of the Quality of Public Finance disclosure offered by a series of selected European Union members in their Stability and Convergence Programmes, released in 2007, 2009 and 2011. The empirical re- search allows us to identify an index to evaluate the fairness and reliability of the Quality of Public Finance disclosure provided by the European countries. The Quality of Public Finance disclosure does not appear satisfactory since any country goes beyond the index average, even though a tendency towards an enhancement emerged in 2011, also enforced by the launch of the European Semester. The correlation analysis showed a weak but positive relation between Quality of Public Finance disclosure and structural deficit.

Suggested Citation

  • Alessandro Giosi & Silvia Testarmata & Sandro Brunelli & Bianca Staglianò, 2012. "Does the Quality of Public Finance Enhance Fiscal Discipline in the European Union? A Cross-Country Analysis," DSI Essays Series, DSI - Dipartimento di Studi sull'Impresa, vol. 21.
    • Handle: RePEc:tov:dsiess:v:21:y:2012
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Quality of Public Finance; Public Finance Sustainability; Fiscal Governance.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E60 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - General
    • H50 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - General
    • H60 - Public Economics - - National Budget, Deficit, and Debt - - - General

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