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Redistribution as a local public good : an empirical test for Flemish municipalities

Ashworth, J.; Heyndels, B.; Smolders, C.

Authors

B. Heyndels

C. Smolders



Abstract

Redistribution is typically viewed as a task of the central government. However, in most federal countries local governments do have some discretion in redistribution policy. The main theoretical argument for this is that redistribution may be a local public good (Pauly 1973). Using data on Flemish municipalities, we present a first empirical test of Pauly's assumption. We find that the willingness to redistribute is negatively affected by the geographical dimension of the responsible government. We extend the notion of distance, considering also sociological, cultural, income and political distances between donors and recipients. We find that, with the exception of income, these are relevant determinants of welfare policy, though they do not always have the predicted effect.

Citation

Ashworth, J., Heyndels, B., & Smolders, C. (2002). Redistribution as a local public good : an empirical test for Flemish municipalities. Kyklos, 55(1), 27-56. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6435.00176

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Feb 1, 2002
Deposit Date Apr 2, 2007
Journal Kyklos
Print ISSN 0023-5962
Electronic ISSN 1467-6435
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 55
Issue 1
Pages 27-56
DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6435.00176
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1601749

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