Should central government seek to control the level of local authority expenditures?

Should local authorities be free to determine their expenditure, provided they finance changes in spending by changes in local taxation? We set up a theoretical framework to analyse this issue, and discuss three arguments that have been put forward for central control of such spending. The first relates to tax spillovers, the second to distributional effects combined with imperfect local democracy and the third considers self‐interested local politicians. While these arguments cannot be entirely dismissed, they are subject to numerous qualifications and, if correct, would imply the desirability of a number of policies other than expenditure capping.     

Public transfers to the poor: is Europe really much more generous than the United States?

Fighting poverty is an important concern in most societies. This usually involves transferring resources to the poor. There exists a widespread view that European countries are much more generous to the poor than the United States. We study whether this is really the case. First, we argue that using data on aggregate spending does not allow us to conclude who the final recipients of social expenditure are. We then analyze microeconomic evidence from the Current Population Survey and the European Community Household Panel and find mixed results. In particular, when the concept of relative poverty is used, we find that every individual below the poverty line receives an average transfer in the United States that is 45% higher than in the European Union. When the old are excluded from the sample, this difference is reduced to 14%.     

Auswirkungen der steigenden Lebenserwartung auf die Gesundheitsausgaben

In the literature there are controversial discussions about the influence of the increasing live expectancy on the expenditure for health care. In the first part of this paper, I analyse the adaptability of the hypotheses of compression or extension of morbidity on the health care expenditure. On a theoretic basis, I transfer the hypotheses from the level of physical life quality to the level of monetary spending. I define a monetary version of the compression of morbidity hypothesis and of the expansion of morbidity hypothesis (the so called monetary medicalisation). In a further definition the influence of inflation is included. In the second part of the paper, I verify the hypotheses based on data from a large German private insurance company. The data include average health care expenditure per capita in the ambulant and stationary sectors for each age and gender. The availability of ten years of data allows the identification of a trend in the expenditure under increased life expectancy. As the spending shows a growth for each age and sex an ?inflation adjusted monetary medicalisation“ can be stated.     

Getting the Smaller Picture: Small‐Area Analysis of Public Expenditure Incidence and Deprivation in Three English Cities

This paper examines public expenditure incidence at small‐area level in cities. The motivations for such research are briefly reviewed. The article reports on an attempt at measuring public expenditure across the majority of programmes down to the level of Census wards and the actual results obtained for three urban local authorities in England. The relationship between spending, income and deprivation is examined overall and for particular spending programmes, using a number of approaches including regression‐based expenditure models. The conclusions suggest that spending is indeed targetted on poorer areas but raise questions about both the strength of this relationship and how best to measure deprivation and the need to spend.     

我国民生保障支出与居民消费的关系分析

本文从理论和实证两个角度分析了我国民生保障支出对居民消费的影响。一方面,本文通过描绘消费者的消费模式图,指出阶段性＂大额刚性支出＂的存在抑制了居民消费水平的提高;另一方面,我国现行的财政分权体制和官员激励制度促进政府投资,挤压居民消费。在此理论基础上,文章构建了居民消费与收入、民生支出的计量模型。本文以1978—2011年的相关数据,分别进行单位根检验、协整、向量误差修正模型、格兰杰因果关系检验等深入分析了民生支出对居民消费的影响。理论和实证结果均表明,政府增加民生保障投入能够促进居民消费。     

农村家庭消费需求调查分析——以辽宁省沈阳市为例

为了解当前沈阳市农村居民家庭的收支水平、收入来源结构、消费支出构成及其变化趋势,尤其关注价格变化对农村居民消费的影响程度,本文选取120户农村居民家庭进行了实地问卷调研。调研显示:样本家庭生活环境进一步改善,生活便利程度提高,收支盈余比例增加,收入同比基本持平;样本家庭支出同比持平,其中日常生活支出及农业生产支出占总支出比重增加;样本家庭大宗消费品普及,新型大宗消费品增加,农业生产资料价格对消费影响程度较大,计划消费的意愿低迷;农村金融服务水平明显提高,农民贷款需求基本得到满足,新型农村金融机构支持"三农"的作用尚未体现。     

Government spending on research and development in the UK

This paper explores the extent of current UK government spending on science and technology placed in its recent historical context. The allocation of this spending across the different arms of government, the primary purposes of the expenditures undertaken and the extent to which the government performs as well as funds R&D are also explored, with some international comparisons analysed. The political and institutional processes that determine the revealed patterns of expenditure in the UK, the rationales behind such spending and the aims and objectives of the main spending departments are discussed, as is the interaction with EU expenditures on science and technology. The effectiveness of or pay-off to government support of this kind is also considered before future spending plans are addressed.     

财政支出对湖南经济收敛的效应研究

运用新古典经济学的收敛模型,通过检验1994～2008年财政支出对湖南经济发展的收敛模型发现,财政支出总额促进了经济的收敛,教育支出、支援农业生产支出、基本建设支出、行政管理费也不同程度地促进了经济的收敛.     

我国省域民生财政支出均衡性研究

利用公开年鉴数据,对民生支出基尼系数进行结构分解,考察2007～2010年间我国省域民生财政支出的均衡性,以及各项民生支出对总体民生支出均衡性的影响。研究发现,几年来民生财政支出的地区均衡性有所提高,但是结构性问题值得关注。     

The Heterogeneous Responses of Consumption between Poor and Rich to Government Spending Shocks

Government spending shocks have substantially different effects on consumers across the income distribution: consumption increases for the poor whereas it decreases for the rich in response to a rise in government expenditure. I shed light on this issue by incorporating a progressive tax scheme and productive public expenditure into a heterogeneous agent model economy with indivisible labor. The model economy is able to successfully match aggregate and disaggregate effects of government spending shocks on consumption. When the government increases its spending and accompanies it by a rise in tax progressivity, the poor are employed and increase their consumption since after‐tax wage rates increase while the rich decrease their consumption because of a fall in after‐tax wage rates.     

论地方政府“土地财政”对居民消费的影响——基于全国地级市面板数据的估计

基于跨期消费与投资组合模型研究了"土地财政"对于居民消费的影响机理,并利用我国2004～2010年267个地级市面板数据进行实证检验。研究发现:首先,"土地财政"通过影响居民实际收入以及推高房价共同抑制了居民消费,并且随着"土地财政"依赖程度的增加,居民将相应地增大房产部分在家庭财富配置的比重;其次我国的"房地产财富效应"不显著,但是居民住房面积的增加有助于促进居民消费;最后,提高信贷利率和改善公共服务水平都将有助于提振居民消费。因此,减少地方政府对于"土地财政"依赖、建立居民合理分享土地增值收益机制以及弥补政府保障性住房的职能缺位是提振居民消费的关键。     

城乡居民社会保障性支出对消费水平影响比较研究——基于15个省市面板数据的实证分析

本文以具有一定代表性的15个省市城乡居民2004—2010年7年的城乡居民人均社会保障性支出水平、人均工资收入水平、消费支出水平为例进行探讨,利用省际静态面板数据分析工具和模型对社会保障性年人均支出水平如何影响城乡居民年人均消费支出水平二者进行了面板实证分析并且做出了对比性研究。研究发现,近年来我国农村居民的社会保障支出总体水平较城镇居民依然差距较大,但是其对于消费水平的影响程度约为社会保障性支出对城镇居民消费水平影响程度的1．2倍,各地区之间、省市之间差异明显。该结论在有力模型论证的基础上较好地反映了近几年来城乡之间社会保障性支出水平发展的轨迹及在内需拉动方面的效用。     

Debate: Nationalised industries and government controls

Though often accused of seeking to extend its control over local authorities, this Government has in fact put forward a series of measures designed to restore control of council spending to the local electorate. These include the recent reform of rate support grant, the ill‐fated proposal that authorities should seek approval, via a referendum, for additional revenue‐raising, and the creation of a new Audit Commission. But such measures do not in fact tackle the major obstacles to the control of expenditure through an effective system of local accountability.     

分税与地方财政支出结构

本文研究了税收分成对地方财政支出结构的影响。理论分析发现,在地方政府的财政支出结构竞争中,税收分成比例的提高将直接导致地方政府增加生产性公共支出,发挥生产性支出的产出外部性,提高产出水平和自身税收收入水平,实现福利最大化。一系列经验分析显著地验证了上述结论,即当地级市政府的税收分成率提高10%,该地区生产性支出占比将提高1.39%。本文的分析和结论有助于解释中国地方财政支出结构变动的原因,从而为政府间税收分配改革提供有效的政策建议。     

The New Politics of Local Spending: Central–Local Financial Relations under Scottish Devolution

This article focuses on the Scottish Executive's strategy and practice over local authority current expenditure since devolution. Since the introduction of the community charge in 1989, central government has provided more than 80% of local authority public expenditure in Scotland. The Scottish Executive has been able to control spending through its grant mechanisms, while still permitting local diversity. Scottish councils have delivered reasonable increases in council tax levels since devolution. This approach is consistent with the statutory basis of local government—much of which is permissive and facilitates local discretion.     

贸易开放度与中国政府支出

将我国政府支出分为总支出、狭义政府消费、社会保障及福利支出等7类,利用协整及基于ECM的短期和长期因果关系联合约束检验分析技术,考察了贸易开放度与各类政府支出之间的长期均衡及短长期因果关系,并对我国政府部门在应对外部冲击过程中所承担的职能作了进一步的分析。结果表明,贸易开放度与政府支出之间的关系随着政府支出功能性质的不同而改变,目前我国政府支出仍主要集中于经济发展初期阶段那些有利于扩大消费的建设项目以及政府作为公共服务的提供者所支付的工资和其地投入上,而对教育、社会保障、社会福利等方面的支出相对不足,这将不利于我国经济的长期可持续增长。     

政府行为、金融结构与地区全要素生产率

本文在一定理论分析和相关假设的基础上,利用1997—2010年省级面板数据对政府行为、金融结构和地区全要素生产率之间的关系进行了实证。结果显示：政府不同项目的财政支出和不同金融资产结构．其对全要素生产率的影响存在一定的差异性。在全国以及东、西部地区,政府科技教育相关支出显著地促进了全要素生产率水平的提高,且西部地区的效果最明显;其它财政支出项目并没有很好的发挥其对金要素生产率的积极作用。进一步地,本文利用Malmquist指数法将全要素生产率分解为技术效率指数和技术进步指数,以考察政府行为、金融结构促进全要素生产率的内在路径。     

Does Medical Equipment Expansion Lead to More Diagnostic Services? Evidence from China’s Sichuan Province

A major goal of China’s healthcare reform is to control the increasing healthcare spending, much of which can be attributed to the overuse of diagnostic tests and has been relatively less studied in the literature. This article analyzes the correlation between medical equipment expansion and the increase in diagnostic test expenditure in China, using Sichuan Province as an example. County-level data aggregated from hospitals’ annual reports in Sichuan Province from 2008 to 2012 were used. The results show a positive correlation between the expansion of medical equipment and the increase in diagnostic test expenditure. Our study provides implications on reforming China’s healthcare delivery system and medical equipment regulation policies.     

Expenditure Reform in Industrialised Countries: A Case‐Study Approach*

This study examines reforms of public expenditure in industrialised countries over the past two decades. We distinguish ambitious and timid reformers and analyse in detail reform experiences in eight case studies of ambitious reform episodes. We find that ambitious reform countries reduce spending on transfers, subsidies and public consumption. Such expenditure retrenchment is also typically part of a comprehensive reform package that includes improvements in fiscal institutions as well as structural and other macroeconomic reforms. The study finds that ambitious expenditure retrenchment and reform coincides with large improvements in fiscal and economic growth indicators.     

Allocating Grant to the UK's Devolved Territories by Needs Assessment: Lessons from School Funding Formulae in England and Scotland

The UK's devolved governments (DGs) receive block grants to finance almost all their expenditure. The Barnett formula used to calculate these grants is often criticised because it does not consider the DGs’ spending needs. However, the feasibility of allocating block grants by needs assessment is often questioned, given the contestability of spending needs. This paper compares the formula used within England to assess the education spending needs of local authorities there with the equivalent Scottish formula, by using each formula in turn to calculate the relative spending needs of the UK territories. The rationale is to consider how similar the two formulae are in how they estimate the territories’ relative spending needs for education, a major responsibility of the DGs. The results show that the English and Scottish education allocation formulae produce similar estimates of the territories’ relative education spending needs. This suggests that it may be more feasible to allocate education resources to the UK's devolved territories based on needs assessment than some have suggested. The results also suggest some inequity in current patterns of education spending across the UK.