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SPATIAL EQUITY AND PUBLIC SERVICES: An empirical analysis of local government finance in England

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  • George Boyne
  • Martin Powell
  • Rachel Ashworth

Abstract

In this article we develop and apply three normative criteria for evaluating the equity of the spatial distribution of local government finance. These are: service needs, as indicated by the characteristics of local population; rights, as measured by contributions to national and local taxes; and effort, which is the ratio of local taxes to incomes. We hypothesize that, in line with the Conservative governments' commitment to market criteria of equity in the 1980s and 1990s, the relationship between local spending and need became weaker while the relationship with rights and effort became stronger. The results of an empirical analysis of the spatial equity of expenditures in England are not consistent with this expectation. The dominant criterion of equity in local government finance between 1981 and 1996 was service need, rather than rights or effort. The evidence suggests that those areas which need more local spending get more, those which pay more get less and those which try harder get little reward for their efforts.

Suggested Citation

  • George Boyne & Martin Powell & Rachel Ashworth, 2001. "SPATIAL EQUITY AND PUBLIC SERVICES: An empirical analysis of local government finance in England," Public Management Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 3(1), pages 19-34, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:pubmgr:v:3:y:2001:i:1:p:19-34
    DOI: 10.1080/14719030122423
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    Cited by:

    1. João Lourenço Marques & Jan Wolf & Fillipe Feitosa, 2021. "Accessibility to primary schools in Portugal: a case of spatial inequity?," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(3), pages 693-707, June.
    2. Liu Wenxin & Zhang Yao & Xu Ruifan & Zhang Zhen, 2022. "Water shortage risk evaluation and its primary cause: Empirical evidence from rural China," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 46(2), pages 179-199, May.
    3. Yasna Cortés, 2021. "Spatial Accessibility to Local Public Services in an Unequal Place: An Analysis from Patterns of Residential Segregation in the Metropolitan Area of Santiago, Chile," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-20, January.
    4. Zhenbao Wang & Dong Liu & Shihao Li & Shuyue Liu & Huiqing Li & Ning Chen, 2023. "Analyzing the Impact of Decreasing Out-of-Vehicle Time of Public Transportation Travel on Accessibility to Tertiary Hospitals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-20, August.
    5. Wenxin Liu & Minjuan Zhao & Wei Hu & Yu Cai, 2018. "Spatial‐temporal variations of water poverty in rural China considered through the KDE and ESDA models," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 42(4), pages 254-268, November.

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