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The Contribution of Local Public Infrastructure to Private Productivity and Its Political-Economy: Evidence from a Panel of Large German Cities

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  • Achim Kemmerling
  • Andreas Stephan

Abstract

TThis paper proposes a simultaneous-equation approach to the estimation of the contribution of infrastructure accumulation to private production. A political economy model for the allocation of public infrastructure investment grants is formulated. Our empirical findings, using a panel of large German cities for the years 1980, 1986, and 1988, suggest that cities ruled by a council sharing the State ('Bundesland') government's current political affiliation were particularly successful in attracting infrastructure investment grants. With regard to the contribution of infrastructure accumulation to growth, we find that public capital is a significant factor in private production. Moreover, at least for the sample studied, we find that simultaneity between output and public capital is weak; thus, feedback effects from output to infrastructure are negligible. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG - (Der Beitrag lokaler öffentlicher Infrastruktur zur privaten Produktivität und seine politische Ökonomie: Empirische Evidenz von einem Paneldatensatz großer deutscher Städte) Dieses Papier verwendet ein simultanes Gleichungssystem zur Schätzung des Beitrags von Infrastrukturinvestitionen zu regionalem Wachstum. Ein polit-ökonomisches Modell der Allokation von Finanzzuweisungen für öffentliche Investitionen in Infrastruktur wird formuliert. Unsere empirischen Ergebnisse basierend auf einem Paneldatensatz für große deutsche Städte in den Jahren 1980, 1986 und 1988 deuten darauf hin, dass Städte, deren Mehrheit im Stadtrat die selbe politische "Couleur" wie die Landesregierung hatte, erfolgreicher bei der Zuteilung von Finanzzuweisungen waren. Im Hinblick auf den Beitrag der Infrastrukturakkumulation auf das Wachstum finden wir, dass öffentliches Kapital ein wichtiger Faktor für die private Produktion ist. Weiterhin, zumindest für den untersuchten Zeitraum, finden wir, dass die Simultanität zwischen Output und öffentlichem Kapital gering ist; daher sind Feedback-Effekte von Output zur Infrastruktur vernachlässigbar.

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Bibliographic Info

Paper provided by Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin (WZB), Research Unit: Competition and Innovation (CIG) in its series CIG Working Papers with number FS IV 01-14.

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Length: 35 pages
Date of creation: Jul 2001
Date of revision:
Publication status: Published in Public Choice , Vol. 113(3-4), December 2002, pp. 403-424.
Handle: RePEc:wzb:wzebiv:fsiv01-14

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Keywords: Local Infrastructure; Intergovernmental Grants; Productivity;

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References

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Citations

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Cited by:
  1. Torrisi, Gianpiero, 2009. "Infrastructures and economic performance: a critical comparison across four approaches," MPRA Paper 18688, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  2. Alfredo Marvão Pereira & Jorge M. Andraz, 2011. "On the economic effects of public infrastructure investment:A survey of the international evidence," Working Papers 108, Department of Economics, College of William and Mary.
  3. Torrisi, Gianpiero, 2009. "A multilevel analysis on the economic impact of public infrastructure and corruption on Italian regions," MPRA Paper 15487, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  4. Anwar, Sajid, 2006. "Provision of public infrastructure, foreign investment and welfare in the presence of specialisation-based external economies," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 142-156, January.
  5. Johannes Fedderke & Željko Bogetic, 2005. "Infrastructure and Growth in South Africa: Direct and Indirect Productivity Impacts of 19 Infrastructure Measures," Working Papers 39, Economic Research Southern Africa.
  6. Daniel Albalate & Germà Bel & Xavier Fageda, 2010. "Is it Redistribution or Centralization? On the Determinants of Government Investment in Infrastructure," Working Papers XREAP2010-15, Xarxa de Referència en Economia Aplicada (XREAP), revised Dec 2010.
  7. Andreas Stephan, 2007. "Zur Politischen Ökonomie öffentlicher Infrastrukturausgaben," Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 8(s1), pages 116-132, 04.
  8. Valter Di Giacinto & Giacinto Micucci & Pasqualino Montanaro, 2012. "The Macroeconomic Impact of Infrastructures: A Literature Review and Empirical Analysis on the Case of Italy," QA - Rivista dell'Associazione Rossi-Doria, Associazione Rossi Doria, issue 1, March.
  9. Pedro R.D. Bom & Jenny E. Ligthart, 2009. "How Productive is Public Capital? A Meta-Regression Analysis," International Center for Public Policy (formerly the International Studies Program) Working Paper Series, at AYSPS, GSU paper0912, International Center for Public Policy (formerly the International Studies Program), Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University.
  10. Bodenstein, Thilo and Achim Kemmerling, 2012. "Ripples in a rising tide: Why some EU regions receive more structural funds than others," European Integration online Papers (EIoP), European Community Studies Association Austria (ECSA-A), vol. 16, 01.
  11. Torrisi, Gianpiero, 2009. "Public infrastructure: definition, classification and measurement issues," MPRA Paper 12990, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  12. Ward Romp & Jakob de Haan, 2007. "Public Capital and Economic Growth: A Critical Survey," Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 8(s1), pages 6-52, 04.
  13. Chiara Del Bo & Massimo Florio & Silvia Vignetti & Emanuela Sirtori, 2011. "Additionality and regional development: are EU Structural Funds complements or substitutes of national Public Finance?," Working Papers 201101, Centre for Industrial Studies (CSIL).
  14. Wolfgang Kitterer, 2007. "Nachhaltige Finanz- und Investitionspolitik der Bundesländer," Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 8(s1), pages 53-83, 04.
  15. Kovacs, Kent F., 2005. "Amount and Spatial Distribution of Public Open Space to Maximize the Net Benefits from Urban Recreation," 2005 Annual meeting, July 24-27, Providence, RI 19206, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).

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