IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/fip/fedbwp/08-1.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Designing state aid formulas: the case of a new formula for distributing municipal aid in Massachusetts

Author

Listed:
  • Katharine L. Bradbury
  • Bo Zhao

Abstract

This paper designs a new equalization-aid formula based on fiscal gaps of local communities. Using conceptual analysis and simulations with Massachusetts data, the authors illustrate the tradeoffs that policymakers face in deciding on the policy variables in the formula and lay out several general guidelines for setting up these variables. When states are in transition to a new local aid formula, the issue of whether and how to hold existing aid harmless poses a challenge. The authors show that previous studies and the formulas derived from them give differential weights to existing and new aid in filling the gap and hence effectively treat communities receiving greater amounts of existing aid more favorably than communities receiving less or no existing aid. As a fairer alternative, the authors propose a new approach that considers existing and new aid within a consistent framework by taking account of both in filling the gap. In addition, unlike previous research that focuses only on a single year?s new aid distribution, the authors simulate the dynamics of aid distributions over multiple years and examine their evolution over time. The authors further provide and compare several possible solutions to addressing the possible tradeoffs between short-term and long-term goals. Although the proposed aid formula is designed for municipal aid and tailored to Massachusetts, the authors note that foundation aid formulas for education implicitly treat existing aid in the same way and suggest that the framework, principles, and policy recommendations might also be applicable to other states designing new municipal aid formulas. ; Also issued as New England Public Policy Center Working Paper, 08-2

Suggested Citation

  • Katharine L. Bradbury & Bo Zhao, 2008. "Designing state aid formulas: the case of a new formula for distributing municipal aid in Massachusetts," Working Papers 08-1, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedbwp:08-1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.bostonfed.org/economic/wp/wp2008/wp0801.htm
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: http://www.bostonfed.org/economic/wp/wp2008/wp0801.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Paul D. Gottlieb, 2006. "State Aid Formulas and the Local Incentive to Chase (or Shun) Ratables," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 43(7), pages 1087-1103, June.
    2. Ladd, Helen F. & Yinger, John, 1994. "The Case for Equalizing Aid," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 47(1), pages 211-224, March.
    3. Ladd, Helen F. & Yinger, John, 1994. "The Case for Equalizing Aid," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association, vol. 47(1), pages 211-24, March.
    4. Katharine L. Bradbury & Bo Zhao, 2007. "Measuring disparities in non-school costs and revenue capacity among Massachusetts cities and towns," Working Papers 06-19, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
    5. Jorge Martinez-Vazquez & Bob Searle, 2007. "Challenges in the Design of Fiscal Equalization and Intergovernmental Transfers," Springer Books, in: Jorge Martinez-Vazquez & Bob Searle (ed.), Fiscal Equalization, chapter 0, pages 3-10, Springer.
    6. Yinger, John, 1986. "On fiscal disparities across cities," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 316-337, May.
    7. John Yinger (ed.), 2004. "Helping Children Left Behind: State Aid and the Pursuit of Educational Equity," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262240467, December.
    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. Duncombe, William & Yinger, John, 2005. "How much more does a disadvantaged student cost?," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 24(5), pages 513-532, October.
    2. K. Shanmugam & K. R. Shanmugam, 2022. "Equalisation Transfers Based on Spending Needs and Fiscal Capacity of State Governments in India," Margin: The Journal of Applied Economic Research, National Council of Applied Economic Research, vol. 16(2), pages 139-165, May.
    3. Albouy, David, 2012. "Evaluating the efficiency and equity of federal fiscal equalization," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(9-10), pages 824-839.
    4. Bo Zhao & Katharine Bradbury, 2009. "Designing state aid formulas," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(2), pages 278-295.
    5. Mihály Fazekas, 2012. "School Funding Formulas: Review of Main Characteristics and Impacts," OECD Education Working Papers 74, OECD Publishing.
    6. K. R. Shanmugam & K. Shanmugam, 2022. "Designing Transfers Policy with Normatively Determined Revenues and Expenditures of State Governments in India," Working Papers 2022-237, Madras School of Economics,Chennai,India.
    7. Duncombe, William & Yinger, John, 2000. "Financing higher student performance standards: the case of New York State," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 363-386, October.
    8. Jyotsna Rosario & K. R. Shanmugam, 2023. "Impact of transfers on elementary education expenditure and measuring equalisation transfers to Indian States," Indian Economic Review, Springer, vol. 58(1), pages 141-168, June.
    9. William Duncombe & Yilin Hou, 2014. "The Savings Behavior of Special Purpose Governments: A Panel Study of New York School Districts," Public Budgeting & Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(3), pages 1-23, September.
    10. Cullen, Julie Berry, 2003. "The impact of fiscal incentives on student disability rates," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(7-8), pages 1557-1589, August.
    11. Brunet, Alexia, 2005. "Protecting Our Homeland: Incorporating Vulnerability to Terrorism in State Homeland Security Grants," 2005 Annual meeting, July 24-27, Providence, RI 19380, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    12. repec:max:cprpbr:10 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Maté Sáncuez-Val, M. & García Pérez De Lema, D. & López Hernández, F., 2009. "La influencia de los efectos espaciales en el crecimiento de la productividad de la PYME/," Estudios de Economia Aplicada, Estudios de Economia Aplicada, vol. 27, pages 283(24á)-28, Abril.
    14. Alexander Cappelen & Bertil Tungodden, 2007. "Local autonomy and interregional equality," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 28(3), pages 443-460, April.
    15. Reschovsky, Andrew, 1994. "Fiscal Equalization and School Finance," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association, vol. 47(1), pages 185-97, March.
    16. Thomas Nechyba, 1996. "Fiscal federalism and local public finance: A computable general equilibrium (CGE) framework," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 3(2), pages 215-231, May.
    17. Albert Solé-Ollé & Núria Bosch, 2005. "On the Relationship between Authority Size and the Costs of Providing Local Services: Lessons for the Design of Intergovernmental Transfers in Spain," Public Finance Review, , vol. 33(3), pages 343-384, May.
    18. Andrew Reschovsky & Jennifer Imazeki, 2003. "Let No Child Be Left Behind: Determining the Cost of Improving Student Performance," Public Finance Review, , vol. 31(3), pages 263-290, May.
    19. Allers, Maarten & Merkus, Erik, 2013. "Soft budget constraint but no moral hazard? The Dutch local government bailout puzzle," Research Report 13014-EEF, University of Groningen, Research Institute SOM (Systems, Organisations and Management).
    20. Luis A. Hierro & Pedro Atienza & David Patiño, 2007. "Inequality and Progressiveness in the Distribution of Revenues of the States in Federal Countries: A Comparitive Study," International Center for Public Policy Working Paper Series, at AYSPS, GSU paper0703, International Center for Public Policy, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University.
    21. Campbell, Colin D. & Fischel, William A., 1996. "Preferences for School Finance Systems: Voters Versus Judges," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association, vol. 49(1), pages 1-15, March.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Municipal finance - Massachusetts; Municipal finance; Local finance - Massachusetts; Local finance;
    All these keywords.

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    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:fip:fedbwp:08-1. 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: Catherine Spozio (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/frbbous.html .

    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.