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Who do you Blame in Local Finance? An Analysis of Municipal Financing in Italy

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  • Massimo Bordignon
  • Santino Piazza

Abstract

A 1999 reform allowed Italian Mayors to partially substitute a more accountable source of tax revenue (the property tax) with a less transparent one (a surcharge on the personal income tax). Theoretical analysis suggests this should give incompetent Mayors a less costly way to hide themselves, so allowing them to be more easily re-elected. An empirical analysis on Piedmont municipalities confirms these hypotheses.

Suggested Citation

  • Massimo Bordignon & Santino Piazza, 2010. "Who do you Blame in Local Finance? An Analysis of Municipal Financing in Italy," CESifo Working Paper Series 3100, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_3100
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    partial decentralization; fiscal federalism; transparency; political behavior;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D78 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Positive Analysis of Policy Formulation and Implementation
    • H71 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue
    • H77 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - Intergovernmental Relations; Federalism

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