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Fiscal Transfers in the Spatial Economy

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  • Marcel Henkel
  • Tobias Seidel
  • Jens Suedekum

Abstract

Many countries shift substantial public resources across jurisdictions to mitigate spatial economic disparities. We use a general equilibrium model with multiple asymmetric regions, labor mobility, and costly trade to carve out the aggregate implications of fiscal transfers. Calibrating the model for Germany, we find that transfers indeed deliver smaller disparities across regions. This comes at the cost of lower national output, however, because economic activity is diverted away from core cities and toward remote areas with low productivity. But despite this loss in output per capita by about 2 percent in our baseline specification, welfare still increases by 0.07 percent because the transfer scheme countervails overcongestion in large cities. If the optimal transfer regime was implemented, welfare would increase by 0.06 percent.

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  • Marcel Henkel & Tobias Seidel & Jens Suedekum, 2021. "Fiscal Transfers in the Spatial Economy," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 13(4), pages 433-468, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejpol:v:13:y:2021:i:4:p:433-68
    DOI: 10.1257/pol.20180294
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    2. Fabian Bald, Marcel Henkel, 2021. "The Role of Local Public Goods for Gender Gaps in the Spatial Economy," Diskussionsschriften credresearchpaper33, Universitaet Bern, Departement Volkswirtschaft - CRED.
    3. Tauli-Corpuz, Vicky & Alcorn, Janis & Molnar, Augusta & Healy, Christina & Barrow, Edmund, 2020. "Cornered by PAs: Adopting rights-based approaches to enable cost-effective conservation and climate action," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    4. Antonia Reinecke & Hans-Jörg Schmerer, 2019. "Estimating the Local Effectiveness of Institutions: A Latent-Variable Approach," CESifo Working Paper Series 7979, CESifo.
    5. Gabriel M. Ahlfeldt & Stephan Heblich & Tobias Seidel, 2021. "Micro-geographic property price and rent indices," CEP Discussion Papers dp1782, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    6. Marcel Henkel & Tobias Seidel & Jens Suedekum, 2021. "Fiscal Transfers in the Spatial Economy," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 13(4), pages 433-468, November.
    7. Hansjörg Blöchliger & Olivier Durand-Lasserve, 2018. "The drivers of regional growth in Russia: A baseline model with applications," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 1523, OECD Publishing.
    8. Sven Wardenburg & Thomas Brenner, 2020. "How to improve the quality of life in peripheral and lagging regions by policy measures? Examining the effects of two different policies in Germany," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(5), pages 1047-1073, November.
    9. Seidel, Tobias & Wickerath, Jan, 2020. "Rush hours and urbanization," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    10. Ahlfeldt, Gabriel M. & Heblich, Stephan & Seidel, Tobias, 2023. "Micro-geographic property price and rent indices," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 116649, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    11. Timothy C. Irwin, 2020. "Accrual Accounting and the Government's Intertemporal Budget Constraint," Public Budgeting & Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(4), pages 128-141, December.
    12. Martins, Thales G.V. & Reis, Geraldo G. & Reis, Maria G.F. & Telles, Lucas A.A. & Lage, Mayara R. & Mendes, Gleidson G.C. & Pinto, Dayane L. & Castro, Nero L.M. & Lorenzon, Alexandre S. & Silva, Ricar, 2020. "Potential planting areas for native tree species in minas gerais state, Brazil, based on environmental variables and wood demand," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 432(C).
    13. Sven Wardenburg & Thomas Brenner, 2019. "The impact of place-based policies on perceived regional living conditions across German labor market regions. Examining the impacts on migration flows," Working Papers on Innovation and Space 2019-02, Philipps University Marburg, Department of Geography.
    14. George Abuselidze, 2019. "Analysis Of The Formation And Use Of Budgetary Policies Ensuring The Socio-Economic Development Of Territorial Units," Economic Archive, D. A. Tsenov Academy of Economics, Svishtov, Bulgaria, issue 2 Year 20, pages 3-15.
    15. Geert Jennes, 2021. "Interregional fiscal transfers resulting from central government debt: New insights and consequences for political economy," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 74(2), pages 196-223, May.
    16. Abuselidze, George, 2019. "Анализ На Формирането И Прилагането На Бюджетни Политики, Осигуряващи Социално-Икономическото Развитие На Административнотериториалните Единици [Analysis of the formation and use of budgetary polic," MPRA Paper 99889, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Eduardo A. Haddad & Luis A. Galvis & Inácio F. Araújo-Junior & Vinicius A.Vale, 2018. "Impact Assessment of Scenarios of Interregional Transfers in Colombia," Documentos de trabajo sobre Economía Regional y Urbana 272, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    18. Sheedy, Elizabeth & Zhang, Le & Tam, Kenny Chi Ho, 2019. "Incentives and culture in risk compliance," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 1-1.
    19. Ferrara, Antonella Rita & Dijkstra, Lewis & McCann, Philip & Nisticó, Rosanna, 2022. "The response of regional well-being to place-based policy interventions," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    20. Channing Arndt & Chris Loewald & Konstantin Makrelov, 2020. "Climate change and its implications for central banks in emerging and developing economies," Working Papers 10001, South African Reserve Bank.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H77 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - Intergovernmental Relations; Federalism
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • R12 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade (economic geography)
    • R13 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - General Equilibrium and Welfare Economic Analysis of Regional Economies
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

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