IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/itaxpf/v27y2020i5d10.1007_s10797-020-09598-2.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Fiscal adjustments at the local level: evidence from Colombia

Author

Listed:
  • Richard Jaimes

    (Tilburg University)

Abstract

Recent research suggests that intergovernmental grants, own-source revenues, and changes in government investment play a crucial role in helping local governments in advanced economies to adjust their fiscal positions in response to budget shocks. Little is known, however, about the dynamic of local fiscal adjustments in emerging economies, and there are reasons to expect distinct fiscal stabilization patterns, for instance, due to lower fiscal capacity. A panel dataset of more than 900 municipalities in Colombia shows that in line with some of the results for developed countries: (1) intergovernmental grants react significantly to increases in government spending; (2) the response of own-source revenues to innovations in government spending in large cities is higher than in the small ones; (3) government investment is highly volatile and responds to innovations in all other budgetary components; and (4) there is no empirical evidence of a reduction in fiscal effort following increases in intergovernmental grants.

Suggested Citation

  • Richard Jaimes, 2020. "Fiscal adjustments at the local level: evidence from Colombia," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 27(5), pages 1148-1173, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:itaxpf:v:27:y:2020:i:5:d:10.1007_s10797-020-09598-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s10797-020-09598-2
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10797-020-09598-2
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10797-020-09598-2?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Helmut Lütkepohl, 2005. "New Introduction to Multiple Time Series Analysis," Springer Books, Springer, number 978-3-540-27752-1, January.
    2. Cadena Ximena, 2002. "¿La descentralización empereza? Efecto de las transferencias sobre los ingresos tributarios municipales en Colombia," Revista Desarrollo y Sociedad, Universidad de los Andes,Facultad de Economía, CEDE, September.
    3. Bird,Richard M. & Vaillancourt,François (ed.), 2008. "Fiscal Decentralization in Developing Countries," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521101585, October.
    4. Jaime Bonet Morón & Gerson Javier Pérez-Valbuena & Diana Ricciulli-Marín, 2018. "¿Hay pereza fiscal territorial en Colombia?," Revista de Economía del Rosario, Universidad del Rosario, vol. 21(2), pages 247-307, December.
    5. Buettner, Thiess & Wildasin, David E., 2006. "The dynamics of municipal fiscal adjustment," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(6-7), pages 1115-1132, August.
    6. Lovisa Persson, 2016. "Government consumption smoothing in a balanced budget regime," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 23(2), pages 289-315, April.
    7. Glomm, Gerhard & Jung, Juergen & Tran, Chung, 2018. "Fiscal Austerity Measures: Spending Cuts Vs. Tax Increases," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 22(2), pages 501-540, March.
    8. Alberto Alesina & Silvia Ardagna, 2013. "The Design of Fiscal Adjustments," Tax Policy and the Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 27(1), pages 19-68.
    9. Im, Kyung So & Pesaran, M. Hashem & Shin, Yongcheol, 2003. "Testing for unit roots in heterogeneous panels," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 115(1), pages 53-74, July.
    10. Gianluca Cafiso & Roberto Cellini, 2014. "Fiscal consolidations and public debt in Europe," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 21(4), pages 614-644, August.
    11. Alberto Alesina & Silvia Ardagna, 2010. "Large Changes in Fiscal Policy: Taxes versus Spending," NBER Chapters, in: Tax Policy and the Economy, Volume 24, pages 35-68, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    12. Choi, In, 2001. "Unit root tests for panel data," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 20(2), pages 249-272, April.
    13. de Mello, Luiz Jr, 2000. "Fiscal Decentralization and Intergovernmental Fiscal Relations: A Cross-Country Analysis," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 28(2), pages 365-380, February.
    14. Norman Gemmell & Richard Kneller & Ismael Sanz, 2013. "Fiscal Decentralization And Economic Growth: Spending Versus Revenue Decentralization," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 51(4), pages 1915-1931, October.
    15. Navon, Guy, 2006. "Budgetary Dynamics in The Local Authorities in Israel," MPRA Paper 9707, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. Maria Martin-Rodriguez & Hikaru Ogawa, 2017. "The Empirics Of The Municipal Fiscal Adjustment," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 831-853, July.
    17. Matz Dahlberg & Eva Johansson, 2000. "An examination of the dynamic behaviour of local governments using GMM bootstrapping methods," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 15(4), pages 401-416.
    18. M. Hashem Pesaran, 2007. "A simple panel unit root test in the presence of cross-section dependence," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(2), pages 265-312.
    19. Richard M. Bird & James M. Poterba & Joel Slemrod (ed.), 2005. "Fiscal Reform in Colombia: Problems and Prospects," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 026202585x, April.
    20. Jean-Paul Faguet & Fabio Sánchez, 2014. "Decentralization and access to social services in Colombia," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 160(1), pages 227-249, July.
    21. Anila Channa & Jean-Paul Faguet, 2016. "Decentralization of Health and Education in Developing Countries: A Quality-Adjusted Review of the Empirical Literature," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 31(2), pages 199-241.
    22. Albert Sol魏ll頍 & Pilar Sorribas-Navarro, 2012. "The dynamic adjustment of local government budgets: does Spain behave differently?," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(25), pages 3203-3213, September.
    23. Henning Bohn, "undated". "Budget Balance Through Revenue or Spending Adjustments ? Some Historical Evidence for the United States (Reprint 013)," Rodney L. White Center for Financial Research Working Papers 03-91, Wharton School Rodney L. White Center for Financial Research.
    24. Lorenz Blume & Stefan Voigt, 2011. "Federalism and decentralization—a critical survey of frequently used indicators," Constitutional Political Economy, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 238-264, September.
    25. Bessho, Shun-ichiro & Ogawa, Hikaru, 2015. "Fiscal adjustment in Japanese municipalities," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(4), pages 1053-1068.
    26. Guy Navon, 2006. "Budgetary dynamics in the local authorities in Israel," Israel Economic Review, Bank of Israel, vol. 4(2), pages 19-52.
    27. Jørn Rattsø, 2004. "Fiscal Adjustment under Centralized Federalism: Empirical Evaluation of the Response to Budgetary Shocks," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 60(2), pages 240-261, August.
    28. Bohn, Henning, 1991. "Budget balance through revenue or spending adjustments? : Some historical evidence for the United States," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 27(3), pages 333-359, June.
    29. Nickell, Stephen J, 1981. "Biases in Dynamic Models with Fixed Effects," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 49(6), pages 1417-1426, November.
    30. Richard M. Bird, 2012. "Fiscal Decentralization in Colombia: A Work (Still) in Progress," International Center for Public Policy Working Paper Series, at AYSPS, GSU paper1223, International Center for Public Policy, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University.
    31. Bohn, Henning, 2007. "Are stationarity and cointegration restrictions really necessary for the intertemporal budget constraint?," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(7), pages 1837-1847, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Gerson Javier Pérez-Valbuena & Paula Barrios, 2022. "Subnational fiscal accounts under pressure: the effects of COVID-19 in a developing country," Documentos de trabajo sobre Economía Regional y Urbana 306, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    2. Gelvez, Juan David, 2024. "Does Crime Matter? The Politics of Crime Prevention in Colombia," OSF Preprints znyq5, Center for Open Science.

    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. Jaimes, Richard, 2016. "Estimating Fiscal Adjustments at the Local Level in Colombia," MPRA Paper 75507, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Bessho, Shun-ichiro & Ogawa, Hikaru, 2015. "Fiscal adjustment in Japanese municipalities," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(4), pages 1053-1068.
    3. Guy Navon, 2006. "Budgetary dynamics in the local authorities in Israel," Israel Economic Review, Bank of Israel, vol. 4(2), pages 19-52.
    4. António Afonso & João Jalles, 2014. "A longer-run perspective on fiscal sustainability," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 41(4), pages 821-847, November.
    5. Fisera, Boris & Workie Tiruneh, Menbere & Hojdan, David, 2021. "Currency depreciations in emerging economies: A blessing or a curse for external debt management?," International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 132-165.
    6. Buettner, Thiess, 2009. "The contribution of equalization transfers to fiscal adjustment: Empirical results for German municipalities and a US-German comparison," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 417-431, September.
    7. Navon, Guy, 2006. "Budgetary Dynamics in The Local Authorities in Israel," MPRA Paper 9707, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Albert Solé-Ollé & Pilar Sorribas-Navarro, 2011. "The dynamic adjustment of local government budgets: does Spain behave differently?," Post-Print hal-00711451, HAL.
    9. Shun-ichiro Bessho, 2017. "A case study of central and local government finance in Japan," Chapters, in: Naoyuki Yoshino & Peter J. Morgan (ed.), Central and Local Government Relations in Asia, chapter 9, pages 306-332, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    10. Ines Helm & Jan Stuhler, 2024. "The Dynamic Response of Municipal Budgets to Revenue Shocks," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 16(4), pages 484-527, October.
    11. Nguyen Phuc Canh & Nguyen Thanh Binh & Su Dinh Thanh & Christophe Schinckus, 2020. "Determinants of foreign direct investment inflows: The role of economic policy uncertainty," International Economics, CEPII research center, issue 161, pages 159-172.
    12. Daniel, Betty C. & Shiamptanis, Christos, 2013. "Pushing the limit? Fiscal policy in the European Monetary Union," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 37(11), pages 2307-2321.
    13. Hippolyte d’Albis & Ekrame Boubtane & Dramane Coulibaly, 2019. "International Migration and Regional Housing Markets: Evidence from France," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 42(2), pages 147-180, March.
    14. Al-Jahwari, Salim Ahmed Said, 2021. "Does the Twin-Deficits doctrine apply to the Gulf Cooperation Council? A dynamic panel VAR-X model approach," MPRA Paper 111232, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Sung, Bongsuk & Song, Woo-Yong & Park, Sang-Do, 2018. "How foreign direct investment affects CO2 emission levels in the Chinese manufacturing industry: Evidence from panel data," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 42(2), pages 320-331.
    16. Buettner, Thiess & Wildasin, David E., 2006. "The dynamics of municipal fiscal adjustment," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(6-7), pages 1115-1132, August.
    17. Piera Cascioli & Dario D’Ingiullo & Donatella Furia & Iacopo Odoardi & Davide Quaglione, 2024. "Towards Greener Futures: Investigating the Nexus of Social, Human, and Institutional Capital in Sustainable Waste Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-15, June.
    18. Simon Berset & Martin Huber & Mark Schelker, 2023. "The fiscal response to revenue shocks," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 30(3), pages 814-848, June.
    19. Albert Solé-Ollé & Pilar Sorribas-Navarro, 2009. "The dynamic adjustment of local government budgets: does Spain behave differently?," Working Papers 2009/7, Institut d'Economia de Barcelona (IEB).
    20. Reicher, Claire, 2014. "Systematic fiscal policy and macroeconomic performance: A critical overview of the literature," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 8, pages 1-37.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Fiscal adjustment; Local fiscal policy; Fiscal decentralization;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H70 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - General
    • H72 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Budget and Expenditures
    • H77 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - Intergovernmental Relations; Federalism

    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:kap:itaxpf:v:27:y:2020:i:5:d:10.1007_s10797-020-09598-2. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    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 bibliographic 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.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

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

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.