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Closing the Gap: Fiscal Imbalaces and Intergovernmental Transfers in Developed Federations

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Abstract

This paper discusses the concepts of vertical fiscal imbalance (the fiscal gap) and horizontal fiscal imbalance (equalization) and uses several statistics to measure these concepts for eight industrially developed federations: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States. Although the periods covered and the detail provided vary from country to country due to limitations in data availability, the overall coverage in this paper seems more complete and comparable than in previous studies. The paper also outlines briefly the types of intergovernmental fiscal transfers used to deal with fiscal imbalances in the eight countries under consideration. Although this account is necessarily highly condensed, given the complexity of transfer systems in most countries, the frequency with which changes are made, and the difficulty of obtaining complete information, it is nonetheless broadly accurate.

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  • Richard Bird & Andrey Tarasov, 2002. "Closing the Gap: Fiscal Imbalaces and Intergovernmental Transfers in Developed Federations," International Center for Public Policy Working Paper Series, at AYSPS, GSU paper0202, International Center for Public Policy, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University.
    • Handle: RePEc:ays:ispwps:paper0202
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    1. Bird, Richard, 2010. "Taxation and Development," World Bank - Economic Premise, The World Bank, issue 34, pages 1-5, September.
    2. Bird, Richard M., 1993. "Threading the Fiscal Labyrinth: Some Issues in Fiscal Decentralization," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 46(2), pages 207-227, June.
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    7. Oakland, William H., 1994. "Fiscal Equalization: An Empty Box?," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 47(1), pages 199-209, March.
    8. Paul Bernd Spahn & Jan Werner, 2007. "Germany at the Junction Between Solidarity and Subsidiarity," Chapters, in: Richard M. Bird & Robert D. Ebel (ed.), Fiscal Fragmentation in Decentralized Countries, chapter 4, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    9. Shankar, Raja & Shah, Anwar, 2001. "Bridging the economic divide within nations : a scorecard on the performance of regional development policies in reducing regional income disparities," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2717, The World Bank.
    10. Antoni Castells, 2001. "The Role of Intergovernmental Finance in Achieving Diversity and Cohesion: The Case of Spain," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 19(2), pages 189-206, April.
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    12. Bird, Richard M., 1993. "Threading the Fiscal Labyrinth: Some Issues in Fiscal Decentralization," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association, vol. 46(2), pages 207-27, June.
    13. Ebel, Robert D. & Yilmaz, Serdar, 2002. "On the measurement and impact of fiscal decentralization," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2809, The World Bank.
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    Keywords

    intergovernmental transfers; fiscal imbalances;

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