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The flypaper effect revisited

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  • Aragon, Fernando

Abstract

This paper argues that there is nothing anomalous about the flypaper effect. I develop a simple median voter model of government spending with costly tax collection that predicts the flypaper effect and provide a quantifiable measure of its magnitude. Using the model insights and previous estimates, I show that a tax rate between 8% to 16% would account for the flypaper effect observed in U.S. subnational governments.

Suggested Citation

  • Aragon, Fernando, 2009. "The flypaper effect revisited," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 58199, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:58199
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    15. Becker, Elizabeth, 1996. "The Illusion of Fiscal Illusion: Unsticking the Flypaper Effect," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 86(1-2), pages 85-102, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Bev Dahlby & Ergete Ferede, 2016. "The stimulative effects of intergovernmental grants and the marginal cost of public funds," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 23(1), pages 114-139, February.
    2. Alvaro Morales & Prakarsh Singh, 2014. "The Effect of Civil Conflict on Child Abuse: Evidence from Peru," HiCN Working Papers 187, Households in Conflict Network.
    3. Manuel E. Lago & Santiago Lago-Peñas & Jorge Martinez-Vazquez, 2022. "On the effects of intergovernmental grants: a survey," Working Papers. Collection A: Public economics, governance and decentralization 2204, Universidade de Vigo, GEN - Governance and Economics research Network.
    4. Kaur, Amandeep & Mohanty, Ranjan Kumar & Chakraborty, Lekha & Rangan, Divy, 2021. "Ecological Fiscal Transfers and State-level Budgetary Spending in India: Analysing The Flypaper Effects in India," Working Papers 21/332, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy.
    5. Oyarzo, Mauricio & Paredes, Dusan, 2019. "Revisiting the link between resource windfalls and subnational crowding out for local mining economies in Chile," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    6. Vicente Rios & Miriam Hortas-Rico & Pedro Pascual, 2022. "What shapes the flypaper effect? The role of the political environment in the budget process," Local Government Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(5), pages 793-820, September.
    7. Alvaro Morales & Prakarsh Singh, 2016. "“Face the bullet, spare the rod?” Evidence from the aftermath of the Shining Path Insurgency," HiCN Working Papers 191 updated, Households in Conflict Network.
    8. Makarin, Alexey & Piqué, Ricardo & Aragón, Fernando, 2020. "National or sub-national parties: Does party geographic scope matter?," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    9. Kaur, Amandeep & Mohanty, Ranjan & Chakraborty, Lekha S & Rangan, Divy, 2021. "Ecological Fiscal Transfers and State-level Budgetary Spending in India: Analysing The Flypaper Effects," MPRA Paper 111947, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Prakarsh Singh & Alvaro Morales, 2015. "The Effect of Civil Conflict on Child Abuse: Evidence from Peru," NCID Working Papers 04/2015, Navarra Center for International Development, University of Navarra.
    11. Baja Daza, Gover & Villarroel Böhrt, Sergio & Zavaleta Castellón, David, 2012. "Diseño institucional e incentivos implicitos en la descentralización Boliviana (1994-2008) [Institutional design and implicit incentives in Bolivia's decentralization model (1994-2008)]," MPRA Paper 48598, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Manuel E. Lago & Santiago Lago-Peñas & Jorge Martinez-Vazquez, 2022. "On the effects of intergovernmental grants: a survey," Working Papers. Collection A: Public economics, governance and decentralization 2204, Universidade de Vigo, GEN - Governance and Economics research Network.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    flypaper effect; intergovernmental transfers; public finance; fiscal decentralization;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • E6 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook

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