The Role of State Fiscal Policy in State Economic Growth

Do state policy makers have the ability to affect a state's rate of economic growth? This article examines one possible source of growth and per capita output level disparities by studying the role that state taxation and public expenditure decisions play in fostering economic development. Using pooled annual U.S. state‐level data from 1972 to 1998, a fixed‐effects model is employed to examine the effects of changing tax rates on both state per capita output levels and growth rates. The results indicate that higher tax rates negatively influence short‐run state economic growth, which lowers state output levels. However, long‐run growth is unaffected by changes in state tax rates, even after adjusting for the effects of initial per capita output levels, state expenditures, and aid from the federal government. Nor do changes in state public spending rates and federal aid permanently alter state growth rates, implying that state fiscal policies have only transitory effects on state growth. (JEL H71, O40, R11)     

The Efficiency Consequences of Local Revenue Equalization: Tax Competition and Tax Distortions

This paper shows how a popular system of federal revenue equalization grants can limit tax competition among subnational governments, correct fiscal externalities, and increase government spending. Remarkably, an equalization grant can implement efficient policy choices by regional governments, even in the presence of differences in regional tax capacity, tastes for public spending, and population. If aggregate tax bases are elastic, however, equalization leads to excessive taxation. Efficiency can be achieved by a modified formula that equalizes a fraction of local revenue deficiencies equal to the fraction of taxes that are shifted backward to factor suppliers.     

REGIONAL UNEMPLOYMENT DISPARITIES: AN EVALUATION OF POLICY MEASURES*

This paper analyses the efficacy of regional and federal government policies in reducing inter‐regional unemployment disparities. We use as our framework a two‐region general equilibrium model with a given freely‐mobile supply of labour. We assume inter‐regional migration to occur in response to inter‐regional utility differentials. Each region has households, firms and a regional government. In addition to regional governments, there is a federal government. The firms in a region use a single factor, labour, to produce a single good which we assume to be different to that produced in the other region. It is supplied to households and to the regional government in the form of payroll taxes. Households consume some, trade some with households in the other region and give some up to the federal government as income tax. Firms and households bargain over wages and firms then choose employment to maximise profits. The resulting equilibrium will generally not be a full‐employment one. We simulate a linearised numerical version of the model. We examine seven alternative policies, six carried out by a regional government and one by the federal government. In the first group there are traditional tax/expenditure polices as well as policies which might be seen as attacking the natural rate of unemployment: changes in unemployment benefits, changes in union power, changes in the labour force and changes in labour productivity. The federal government policy is a regionally‐differentiated fiscal policy. Contrary to expectations, many policies which have traditionally been recommended to alleviate unemployment are found, in fact, to exacerbate the unemployment problem.     

The effect of education subsidies on regional economic growth and disparities in China

This paper examines the impact of education subsidies on regional economic growth and the disparities between two Chinese regions, Jiangsu and Liaoning, by simulating their economies in a six-period overlapping generations model in which individuals decide their length of education. This study estimates the long-run growth rates, that is, the steady growth paths of the regional economies based on current education subsidies, and explores their effect on human capital accumulation, namely in terms of economic growth while considering the increase in education subsidies. Because greater government subsidies in education induce individuals to invest in human capital, both regions achieve higher economic growth. Moreover, because of the large differences in productivity between the regions, the growth gap widens with evenly raised education subsidy rates.     

Can regional policy in a federation improve economic efficiency?

In the European Union and in many federal and non-federal countries, the central government pays subsidies to poor regions. These subsidies are often seen as a redistributive measure which comes at the cost of an efficiency loss. This paper develops an economic rationale for regional policy based on economic efficiency. We consider a model of a federation consisting of a rich and a poor region. The economy is characterized by imperfect competition in goods markets and unemployment. Firms initially produce in the rich region but may relocate their production to the poor region. We show that a subsidy on investment in the poor region unambiguously increases welfare if labour markets are competitive. If there is unemployment in both regions, the case for regional subsidies is weaker.     

中国区域经济发展与劳动力流动——使用区域连接CGE模型的数量分析

本文从区域间劳动力流动的视角出发分析中国区域经济发展的问题，特别是工资和收入差距的问题，使用的方法主要是区域连接CGE模型，应用该模型进行了比较静态分析（1997年）和比较动态分析（1997—2010年）。依据模拟的结果我们探讨了劳动自由流动的强度、劳动力流动的量、区域间工资或收入差距这三者之间的关系，同时也考察了扩大政府对西部等特定地区的投资所带来的效果。     

战略性新兴产业政策依赖性探析 ——来自地方政府补贴视角的实证检验

战略性新兴产业发展受到各级政府普遍扶持,扶持过程处处存在政府的影响,是研究政府行为的良好载体。为此,本文以战略性新兴产业为研究对象,以海克曼（Heckman）两步选择模型为基础分析地方政府补贴选择以及补贴实施机制,并考察其区域效应、省际效应及具体地区经济特征的影响。本文研究表明,地方政府行为具有多样性,其具有显著的扶持弱者行为取向,这是政策依赖的重要因素,这一影响机制受地区经济发展因素的影响,存在显著的区域差异。研究还表明,地方政府补贴行为具有较强的所有制类型偏好,中央国有企业受到补贴的概率、补贴数量及补贴程度显著低于其他所有制,其中蕴含着地方政府与中央国有企业之间的诸多问题。     

Competing in taxes and investment under fiscal equalization

The paper considers a model of federation with two heterogeneous regions that try to attract the capital by competing in capital income taxes and public investment that enhance the productivity of capital. Regions' choices determine allocation of capital across the regions and their revenues under a tax sharing scheme. This framework allows for the examination of different approaches to fiscal equalization schemes [Boadway, R., Flatters, F., 1982. Efficiency and equalization payments in a federal system of government: a synthesis and extension of recent results, Canadian Journal of Economics 15, 613-633; Weingast, B.R., 2006. Second Generation Fiscal Federalism: Implication for Decentralized Democratic Governance and Economic Development, Working Paper, Hoover Institution, Stanford University]. We show that tax competition distorts (downwards) public investments and that the equalization grants discourage public investments with a little effect on equilibrium taxes. However, the equalization schemes remain beneficial not only for the federation and, under a low degree of regional asymmetry, also for each region.     

The effects of grants-in-aid on state and local expenditures: The case of AFDC

This paper develops econometric methods to estimate the effect of the piecewise-linear budget constraints created by grant formulas in which the subsidy rate is not constant over expenditures (e.g. closed-end grants). The methods are applied to the AFDC program. The results show that, because of the kinked nature of the grant formula, (1) the present federal formula actually increases cross-state inequality in AFDC benefits, (2) several subsidy rates in the formula actually reduce benefits, and (3) the so-called ‘flypaper’ effect disappears.     

基于基尼系数的河南县域经济差异产业分解

采用基尼系数及其分产业部门分解的方法,依据河南省2000—2009年各县域单元的人均GDP数据,对河南省县域经济单元的区域差异程度、动态变化的产业结构效应和集中效应进行深入探讨。研究表明:第二产业区域差异是构成河南县域经济总体差距的决定因素;县域经济差异波动增大,产业结构效应是推动县域经济差异拉大的主要原因,而集中效应对县域经济差距有缓解作用,集中效应的不断下降超过了结构效应的增加对区域差异扩大的贡献,进而不断的缓解县域经济差距。因此,推动非农产业在各县域单元间均衡发展是缓解河南县域经济差异的有效途径,尤其是加快推进农区县域的农业产业化和工业化进程是实现河南省县域经济均衡协调发展的关键。     

财政分权框架下的财政政策和货币政策

本文扩展了Barro( 1 990 )和Gong和Zou( 2 0 0 2 )的模型 ,讨论财政分权框架下的政府财政政策和货币政策 ,通过消费者行为、地方政府行为和中央政府行为之间Nash均衡解 ,得到了经济增长率和各参数的隐式关系 ,并且通过数值模拟得到经济增长率与各种税收以及政府间转移支付的关系。我们发现经济增长率和收入税的关系是Laffer曲线 ,消费税对经济增长的影响是正的 ,财产税对经济增长的影响是负的。至于货币政策的影响 ,我们发现货币不再是超中性的了 ,供应量增加可以促进经济增长 ,而且经济中的货币的流通程度越高 ,经济增长率越高。最后 ,本文还讨论了多级地方政府的情况 ,分析了不同税收制度的地区对整个经济增长的不同影响。     

试论政府干预区域经济差距的缘由

改革开放以来,我国区域经济差距呈现不断扩大的趋势.面对区域差距,新古典主义学派与循环累积增长学派之间存在自由放任与政府干预之争.文章认为尽管市场存在某种自发的区域均衡机制,但这只是一个长期趋势;而且,报酬递增、迁移成本、制度性障碍等因素都对这种均衡机制产生抑制作用.因此市场并不能在短期内自动缓解区域差距,有必要引入适度的政府干预,纠正在区域协调发展问题上的“市场失灵”.     

基于RIMS Ⅱ的国防支出区域经济效应分析——以美国圣迭戈县为例

国防支出对区域经济影响的主要分析工具之一是投入产出分析技术。本文在RIMS Ⅱ(Regional Input-Output Mod-eling System,区域投入产出模型化系统)基础上,讨论了区域投入产出分析的主要乘数模型:产出乘数、就业乘数和收入乘数。将乘数模型应用于国防支出的区域经济效应研究,我们发现,国防支出通过驻地军事基地和装备采购支出对区域经济发展的影响是显著的。由于国防支出由中央政府支付,经济区域内国防支出的流入意味着为区域经济注入了必要的生产发展资金,推动经济区域内循环往复的生产、消费、税收和就业。同时,不同类型的国防支出流入在区域经济内发挥的经济效应是不同的。以生产武器装备,承接国防合同为主而流入大量国防采购资金、国防R&D资金的地区,显然要比经济区内单纯驻有军事基地的地区有更高的乘数效应,国防支出对区域经济的产出、收入和就业的经济效应更为明显。     

FUNCTIONAL ESTIMATES OF JAPANESE GOVERNMENT DOMESTIC EXPENDITURES, FISCAL 1952–1963

The purpose of the paper is to describe current and constant price estimates of Japanese central and local government postwar domestic expenditures by economic type and function recently completed by Miss Yoshiko Kido, International Christian University, Tokyo, and myself. The rationale of the functional classification is to estimate those government expenditures which enhance the economy's productive capacity. Expenditures are divided into four broad functional categories: developmental, disaster repair and prevention, social welfare, and general government. These four categories are subdivided to two levels of disaggregation. We were able to break down government fixed investment, government enterprise inventory investment, current domestic transfers and subsidies into 42 functional components. For constant price series, each functional component by economic type was deflated by separate price indexes. We followed the Economic Planning Agency's procedure for the official national accounts of assuming no productivity change in the provision of government services. Our results are generally comparable to the official national accounts estimates. The major difference is that we attribute considerably more fixed investment to local governments, and correspondingly less to the central level. Government expenditures had the following characteristics. Growth was rapid; in real terms the public sector use of the economy's resources in 1963 was 2.2 times more than in 1952. The elasticity of government expenditures to GNP was unity in current prices, slightly less in real terms. The government postwar share in GNP has been smaller than in European nations and, unlike them, was not rising. This reflects the underlying growth strategy of emphasis upon private business fixed investment. Government consumption expenditures declined relative to GNP, and investment rose. Developmental expenditures comprised the largest share (40–45 per cent) of the government total. The elasticities to GNP of government expenditures by economic and functional categories are provided and discussed. A simple test was made of the cyclical relationship of government expenditures (both total and by category) to GNP. The results suggest that government expenditures, rather than contra-cyclical, were pro-cyclical in effect.     

政府公信力与区域经济增长——基于新经济地理学的空间经济分析

政府公信力反映了公众对政府行为的满意程度,对区域经济发展具有重要的影响作用。政府公信力具有明显的空间差异性,是区域经济发展的重要空间向度。基于新经济地理学的空间经济建模技术,显著具有空间差异性的政府公信力完全可以纳入到空间经济增长理论模型当中,这不仅可以深入探究政府公信力在区域经济增长中的作用机制,而且通过理论分析和模型推演还可以进一步揭示出,政府公信力在区域经济增长的路径选择上具有重要的作用,是区域经济差异化的重要推进力量。     

均衡性转移支付、公共支出结构与经济高质量发展

本文首先从理论层面系统阐述均衡性转移支付、公共支出结构与经济增长质量三者之间的多重作用机制。其次立足“五大发展理念”构建综合指标体系对经济增长质量展开测度，本文发现我国地方经济增长质量虽然在整体上呈缓慢上升态势，但其绝对水平相对偏低，且具有较为明显的地区异质性。最后本文通过构建动态面板联立方程模型与采取三阶段最小二乘法进行实证考察，结果表明：地方政府公共支出结构与经济增长质量显著正相关，但均衡性转移支付与经济增长质量的正相关关系并不显著。标准化回归结果显示均衡性转移支付能够通过优化公共支出结构对地方经济增长质量产生间接提升效应。     

均衡性转移支付、公共支出结构与经济高质量发展

本文首先从理论层面系统阐述均衡性转移支付、公共支出结构与经济增长质量三者之间的多重作用机制。其次立足“五大发展理念”构建综合指标体系对经济增长质量展开测度，本文发现我国地方经济增长质量虽然在整体上呈缓慢上升态势，但其绝对水平相对偏低，且具有较为明显的地区异质性。最后本文通过构建动态面板联立方程模型与采取三阶段最小二乘法进行实证考察，结果表明：地方政府公共支出结构与经济增长质量显著正相关，但均衡性转移支付与经济增长质量的正相关关系并不显著。标准化回归结果显示均衡性转移支付能够通过优化公共支出结构对地方经济增长质量产生间接提升效应。     

The Role of Central Government in Tax Competition Between Heterogenous Regions

This paper analyzes the role of central government in a Nash tax competition between two heterogenous regions, which differ in their endowments of two production factors. Regional governments use a source-based unit tax on mobile capital to finance their public service expenditures. The central government employs excise subsidies and lump-sum taxes to induce the two regions to efficient resource allocations. We answer to the question that whether the central government can induce an efficient equilibrium, and investigate the effects of endowments difference on the optimum subsidy rates. We find that there exists a unique tax rate under which the efficiency is achieved. We identify the set of endowment allocations for which the subsidy rate to one region is higher (or lower) than the subsidy rate to the rival. The large poor region receives a higher subsidy than the small rich region, but the subsidy to the small poor region may be higher or lower than that to the large rich region. [H2]     

转移支付的类型、资金分配结构与财政均等化绩效——来自我国的省际经验分析

笔者通过对中国3大类转移支付:税收返还、财力性转移支付和专项转移支付的财政均等化绩效进行分析,指出不同类型的转移支付由于政策设计初衷和运作机理不同,实现财政均等化的绩效也有所不同。而且,地区分配结构也是影响转移支付财政均等化绩效的重要因素。因此,构建合理的转移支付制度,不仅需要对现有的转移支付的类型结构进行调整,而且还有必要进一步完善各类补助资金的地区分配结构。     

战略性新兴产业发展中的区域竞争与地方政府补贴

本文构建理论模型剖析地方政府产业补贴政策的形成机制和经济效应,并利用实证分析方法揭示地方政府产业补贴率与区域生产成本的关系。理论分析表明, 当地方政府产量偏好相同时,生产成 本优势越明显的地区,地方政府产业补贴率应越高。但如果高成本地区的产量偏好远大于低成本地区,高成本地区地方产业补贴率就会大于低成本地区。实证检验结果显示,中国地方政府产业补贴率与 生产成本正相关,说明地方政府产业补贴政策存在逆成本优势选择现象。 ［关键词］产业政策; 区域竞争; 政府补贴; 新兴产业