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Gross versus net equalization scheme in a federation with decentralized leadership

Author

Listed:
  • Marie-Laure Breuillé

    (CESAER - Centre d'Economie et de Sociologie Rurales Appliquées à l'Agriculture et aux Espaces Ruraux - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - AgroSup Dijon - Institut National Supérieur des Sciences Agronomiques, de l'Alimentation et de l'Environnement)

  • Thierry Madiès

    (UNIFR - Université de Fribourg = University of Fribourg)

  • Emmanuelle Taugourdeau

    (CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

This paper compares the impact of two equalization transfer schemes on regional budgetary choices: a gross equalization scheme, where ex-post transfers to regions are financed from federal tax revenues, and a net equalization scheme, where region-to-region ex-post transfers allocated by the federal government are self-financed. The net equalization scheme reduces ex-post federal intervention and should therefore be favored over the gross equalization scheme in order to reduce opportunistic regional behaviour. In addition, the two equalization schemes differently affect the composition of public expenditures. The gross equalization scheme generates an upward distortion of the amount of capital public expenditures whereas the net equalization scheme generates a downward distortion of the amount of current public expenditures compared to the optimum. A welfare analysis reveals that incentives to use a net equalization scheme are strengthened for a sufficiently high number of regions.

Suggested Citation

  • Marie-Laure Breuillé & Thierry Madiès & Emmanuelle Taugourdeau, 2010. "Gross versus net equalization scheme in a federation with decentralized leadership," Post-Print hal-02668697, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-02668697
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jue.2010.04.002
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    Cited by:

    1. Steve Billon, 2023. "Tax Competition and Leviathan with Decentralized Leadership," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 79(2), pages 93-110.
    2. Anton Bondarev & Beat Hintermann & Frank C. Krysiak & Ralph Winkler, 2017. "The Intricacy of Adapting to Climate Change: Flood Protection as a Local Public Goods Game," CESifo Working Paper Series 6382, CESifo.
    3. Toshiki Tamai & Gareth Myles, 2022. "Unemployment, tax competition, and tax transfer policy," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 24(3), pages 470-503, June.
    4. Emilson Silva, 2015. "Efficient earmarking under decentralized fiscal commitments," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 22(4), pages 683-701, August.
    5. Emilson Caputo Delfino Silva, 2017. "Tax competition and federal equalization schemes with decentralized leadership," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 24(1), pages 164-178, February.
    6. Thierry Madiès & Jean-Jacques Dethier, 2012. "Fiscal Competition In Developing Countries: A Survey Of The Theoretical And Empirical Literature," Journal of International Commerce, Economics and Policy (JICEP), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 3(02), pages 1-31.
    7. Linda Toolsema & Maarten Allers, 2014. "Welfare Financing: Grant Allocation and Efficiency," De Economist, Springer, vol. 162(2), pages 147-166, June.
    8. Yongzheng Liu, 2014. "Does competition for capital discipline governments? The role of fiscal equalization," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 21(3), pages 345-374, June.
    9. Timothy J. Goodspeed, 2017. "Bailouts and Soft Budget Constraints in Decentralized Government: A Synthesis and Survey of an Alternative View of Intergovernmental Grant Policy," Hacienda Pública Española / Review of Public Economics, IEF, vol. 221(2), pages 113-134, June.
    10. repec:dgr:rugsom:12004-eef is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Stephanie Armbruster & Beat Hintermann, 2020. "Decentralization with porous borders: public production in a federation with tax competition and spillovers," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 27(3), pages 606-642, June.
    12. Arthur Caplan & Emilson Silva, 2011. "Impure public goods, matching grant rates and income redistribution in a federation with decentralized leadership and imperfect labor mobility," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 18(3), pages 322-336, June.
    13. Toolsema-Veldman, Linda & Allers, M.A., 2012. "Welfare financing," Research Report 12004-EEF, University of Groningen, Research Institute SOM (Systems, Organisations and Management).
    14. Silva, Emilson Caputo Delfino, 2014. "Selective decentralized leadership," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 1-5.
    15. Yongzheng Liu & Jorge Martinez-Vazquez, 2011. "Public Input Competition, Stackelberg Equilibrium and Optimality," International Center for Public Policy Working Paper Series, at AYSPS, GSU paper1123, International Center for Public Policy, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University.
    16. T. Daniel Woodbury, 2020. "The provision of infrastructure: benefit–cost criteria for optimizing local governments," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 27(3), pages 552-574, June.
    17. Nobuo Akai & Takahiro Watanabe, 2025. "Endogenous timing of decentralized leadership with heterogeneous spillovers," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 26(2), pages 163-183, June.

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