IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jecomi/v8y2020i2p33-d347825.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Can Local Policies Reduce the Gap between ‘Centers’ and ‘Inner Areas’? The Case of Italian Municipalities’ Expenditure

Author

Listed:
  • Luca Romagnoli

    () (Department of Economics, University of Molise, Via Francesco De Sanctis, 1, 86100 Campobasso CB, Italy)

  • Luigi Mastronardi

    () (Department of Economics, University of Molise, Via Francesco De Sanctis, 1, 86100 Campobasso CB, Italy)

Abstract

This study analyzes the links between Italian inner area municipalities’ expenditure and per capita incomes, considered as a proxy of well-being. Inner areas are territorial contexts characterized by a significant distance from the centers, the main supply poles of essential services. Following a top-down approach, the paper at first demonstrates the existence of a global convergence process in per capita incomes, with a faster rate of convergence in inner areas with respect to centers; then, attention is focused on local administrations’ policies and their impact on incomes in Italian inner areas. The paper gives a twofold contribution to the debate about the implementation of territorial cohesion policies: (a) on one side, public expenditure data are considered for the first time in an econometric model regarding Italian inner areas; (b) on the other side, the reference territorial subdivision is the lowest possible, giving the opportunity to investigate the changes in well-being at the finest scale.

Suggested Citation

  • Luca Romagnoli & Luigi Mastronardi, 2020. "Can Local Policies Reduce the Gap between ‘Centers’ and ‘Inner Areas’? The Case of Italian Municipalities’ Expenditure," Economies, MDPI, Open Access Journal, vol. 8(2), pages 1-13, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jecomi:v:8:y:2020:i:2:p:33-:d:347825
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7099/8/2/33/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7099/8/2/33/
    Download Restriction: no

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Romer, Paul M, 1986. "Increasing Returns and Long-run Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 94(5), pages 1002-1037, October.
    2. Emanuele Felice, 2015. "La stima e l’interpretazione dei divari regionali nel lungo periodo: i risultati principali e alcune tracce di ricerca," SCIENZE REGIONALI, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2015(3), pages 91-120.
    3. Robert M. Solow, 1956. "A Contribution to the Theory of Economic Growth," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 70(1), pages 65-94.
    4. Modigliani, Franco & Sterling, Arlie, 1986. "Government Debt, Government Spending and Private Sector Behavior: Comment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 76(5), pages 1168-1179, December.
    5. Jeffrey M Wooldridge, 2010. "Econometric Analysis of Cross Section and Panel Data," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 2, volume 1, number 0262232588, September.
    6. Barro, Robert J, 1990. "Government Spending in a Simple Model of Endogenous Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 98(5), pages 103-126, October.
    7. Philip Haynes & Jonathan Haynes, 2016. "Convergence and Heterogeneity in Euro Based Economies: Stability and Dynamics," Economies, MDPI, Open Access Journal, vol. 4(3), pages 1-16, August.
    8. Sergio Rey & Brett Montouri, 1999. "US Regional Income Convergence: A Spatial Econometric Perspective," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(2), pages 143-156.
    9. Gianpaolo Basile & Aurora Cavallo, 2020. "Rural Identity, Authenticity, and Sustainability in Italian Inner Areas," Sustainability, MDPI, Open Access Journal, vol. 12(3), pages 1-1, February.
    10. James L. Butkiewicz & Halit Yanikkaya, 2011. "Institutions and the impact of government spending on growth," Journal of Applied Economics, Universidad del CEMA, vol. 14, pages 319-341, November.
    11. Barro, Robert J, 2000. "Inequality and Growth in a Panel of Countries," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 5(1), pages 5-32, March.
    12. Wu, Shih-Ying & Tang, Jenn-Hong & Lin, Eric S., 2010. "The impact of government expenditure on economic growth: How sensitive to the level of development?," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 32(6), pages 804-817, November.
    13. Lucas, Robert Jr., 1988. "On the mechanics of economic development," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 3-42, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sefa Awaworyi Churchill & Mehmet Ugur & Siew Ling Yew, 2017. "Does Government Size Affect Per-Capita Income Growth? A Hierarchical Meta-Regression Analysis," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 93(300), pages 142-171, March.
    2. Niknamian, Sorush, 2019. "Resource–Economic Growth Nexus, Role of Governance, Financial Development, Globalisation and War: Dynamic Approach," OSF Preprints akhsr, Center for Open Science.
    3. B. Bhaskara Rao & Arusha Cooray, 2012. "How useful is growth literature for policies in the developing countries?," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(6), pages 671-681, February.
    4. Åsa Johansson, 2016. "Public Finance, Economic Growth and Inequality: A Survey of the Evidence," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 1346, OECD Publishing.
    5. Stephen Turnovsky, 2000. "Growth in an Open Economy: Some Recent Developments," Discussion Papers in Economics at the University of Washington 0015, Department of Economics at the University of Washington.
    6. Aparicio, Sebastian & Urbano, David & Audretsch, David, 2016. "Institutional factors, opportunity entrepreneurship and economic growth: Panel data evidence," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 45-61.
    7. Ricardo Carvalho De Andrade Lima & Raul Da Mota Silveira Neto, 2016. "Physical and Human Capital and Brazilian Regional Growth: A Spatial Econometric Approach for the Period 1970–2010," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(10), pages 1688-1701, October.
    8. Teresa SEQUEIRA & Francisco DINIZ, 2014. "Planning Beyond Infrastructures: The Third Sector In Douro And Alto Tras-Os-Montes," Regional Science Inquiry, Hellenic Association of Regional Scientists, vol. 0(1), pages 43-57, June.
    9. Kronthaler, Franz, 2003. "A Study of the Competitiveness of Regions based on a Cluster Analysis: The Example of East Germany," IWH Discussion Papers 179, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
    10. Zuzana Machová & Igor Kotlán, 2013. "Interakce zdanění, vládních výdajů a ekonomického růstu: panelový VAR model pro země OECD [Interaction of Taxation, Government Expenditure and Economic Growth: Panel VAR Model for OECD Countries]," Politická ekonomie, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2013(5), pages 623-638.
    11. Renelt, David, 1991. "Economic growth : a review of the theoretical and empirical literature," Policy Research Working Paper Series 678, The World Bank.
    12. Palakiyem Kpemoua, 2016. "Levels Of Education And Economic Performances Of Togo [Niveaux D’Education Et Performances Economiques Du Togo]," Working Papers halshs-01506650, HAL.
    13. Paul Lau, Sau-Him, 1999. "I(0) In, integration and cointegration out:: Time series properties of endogenous growth models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 93(1), pages 1-24, November.
    14. Thomas M. Steger, 2000. "Productive Consumption and Growth in Developing Countries," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 4(3), pages 365-375, October.
    15. Jean-Marc Fournier, 2016. "The Positive Effect of Public Investment on Potential Growth," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 1347, OECD Publishing.
    16. Teresa SEQUEIRA & Francisco DINIZ, 2014. "Planning Beyond Infrastructures: The Third Sector In Douro And Alto Tras-Os-Montes," Regional Science Inquiry, Hellenic Association of Regional Scientists, vol. 0(1), pages 43-57, June.
    17. Themba G Chirwa & NM Odhiambo, 2019. "An Empirical Test Of Exogenous Growth Models: Evidence From Three Southern African Countries," Economic Annals, Faculty of Economics, University of Belgrade, vol. 64(220), pages 7-38, January –.
    18. Johan Lundberg, 2006. "Using spatial econometrics to analyse local growth in Sweden," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(3), pages 303-316.
    19. Guilherme Resende & Alexandre Carvalho & Patrícia Sakowski & Túlio Cravo, 2016. "Evaluating multiple spatial dimensions of economic growth in Brazil using spatial panel data models," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 56(1), pages 1-31, January.
    20. Vojtěch Olbrecht, 2018. "Productivity Effect of Accessing the EU: Case of Bulgaria and Romania," European Journal of Business Science and Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Faculty of Business and Economics, vol. 4(1), pages 48-55, July.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    local public expenditures; per capita incomes; Italian inner areas; spatial error model; panel regression model;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics
    • F - International Economics
    • I - Health, Education, and Welfare
    • J - Labor and Demographic Economics
    • O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth
    • Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jecomi:v:8:y:2020:i:2:p:33-:d:347825. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: (XML Conversion Team). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com/ .

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service hosted by the Research Division of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis . RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.