Fiscal rules and budget forecast errors of Italian municipalities |
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Affiliation: | 1. Universitas Mercatorum, Italy;2. Governance and Economics Research Network, Spain;3. Oxford Brookes University (UK), Department of Accounting Finance and Economics, Wheatley Campus, OX33 1HX, UK |
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Abstract: | We study the impact of the domestic stability pact on the accuracy of budget forecasts of Italian municipalities. Identification of the causal effect exploits a quasi-natural experiment generated by the removal in 2001 of the fiscal restraints on budget decisions for municipalities with fewer than 5000 inhabitants and by stricter budgetary restrictions and severe penalties for noncompliers in 2002. We find that relaxing fiscal rules had a sizeable impact on budget forecast errors, especially in 2002. In fact, revenue (expenditure) forecast errors for municipalities with fewer than 5000 inhabitants became 26% (22%) larger than in the past. |
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Keywords: | Budget forecast errors Sub-central fiscal rules Italian municipalities Quasi-natural experiment Difference-in-discontinuities design E62 H68 H72 |
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