Skip to main content
Log in

Budget burden and benefit visibility of European central level governments

  • Articles
  • Published:
International Advances in Economic Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Central levels of government in European Union member countries are different regarding their basic institutions, powers, fiscal systems, accountability, public performance management, financial control bodies, and the like. In spite of this, the economic operation of such levels of government should be analyzed, evaluated, and compared from an efficiency viewpoint. This paper presents general indicators to systematically assess the burden and benefit visibility of public budgets of the International Monetary Fund member countries and specific estimates for the central subsystems of public revenue and expenditure now in force in such European countries. An important policy implication of these estimates seems straightforwardly perceived: significant allocation improvements could be obtained by implementing changes and reforms, aiming to raise their current visibility values.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Becker, G. S. "A Theory of Competition Among Pressure Groups for Political Influence,"Quarterly Journal of Economics, 98, 1983, pp. 163–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • __. "Public Policies, Pressure Groups, and Dead-Weight Costs,"Journal of Public Economics, 2, 8, 1985, pp. 329–48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Commission of the European Communities.Inventory of Taxes Levied in the Member States of the European Communities, 15th ed., Luxembourg: CEC, 1993.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fiorina, M. P.; Noll, R. G. "Voters, Bureaucrats, and Legislators: A Rational Choice Perspective on the Growth of Bureaucracy,"Journal of Public Economics, 9, 1978, pp. 239–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frey, B. S.; Pommerehne, W. W. "How Powerful Are Public Bureaucrats as Voters?,"Public Choice, 38, 1982, pp. 253–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton, B. W. "The Flypaper Effect and Other Anomalies,"Journal of Public Economics, 22, 1983, pp. 347–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • International Monetary Fund.A Manual on Government Finance Statistics, Washington, DC: IMF, 1986.

    Google Scholar 

  • __.Government Finance Statistics Yearbook: 1998, XVIII, Washington, DC: IMF, 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mueller, D. C. "The Growth of Government: A Public Choice Perspective,"International Monetary Fund Staff Papers, 34, 1987, pp. 115–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mueller, D. C.; Murrell, P. "Interest Groups and the Size of Government,"Public Choice, 41, 1986, pp. 125–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Musgrave, R.; Musgrave, P.Public Finance in Theory and Practice, 5th ed., New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 1989, pp. 100–1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oates, W. E. "On the Nature and Measurement of Fiscal Illusion: A Survey," in G. Brennan; B. S. Grewal; P. Groenewegen, eds.,Taxation and Fiscal Federalism: Essays in Honor of Russell Mathews, Sydney, Australia: Australian National University Press, 1988, pp. 65–82.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pommerehne, W. W.; Schneider, F. "Fiscal Illusion, Political Institutions, and Local Public Spending,"Kyklos, 31, 1978, pp. 381–408.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roig-Alonso, M. "Fiscal Visibility in the European Union Member Countries: New Estimates,"International Advances in Economic Research, 4, 1, February 1998, pp. 1–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Solano, P. L. "Institutional Explanations of Public Expenditure Among High Income Democracies,"Public Finance, 38, 1983, pp. 397–404.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tabellini, G.; Alesina, A. "Voting on the Budget Deficit,"American Economic Review, 80, 1990, pp. 37–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wagner, R. E. "Revenue Structure, Fiscal Illusion, and Budgetary Choice,"Public Choice, 25, 1976, pp. 45–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weingast, B.; Shepsle, K.; Johnson, C. "The Political Economy of Benefits and Costs: A Neoclassical Approach to Distributive Politics,"Journal of Political Economy, 41, 1981, pp. 642–64.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Forty-Ninth International Atlantic Economic Conference, March 14–21, 2000, Munich, Germany. The author is indebted to conference participants for helpful comments. The author is responsible for any errors or shortcomings.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Roig-Alonso, M. Budget burden and benefit visibility of European central level governments. International Advances in Economic Research 7, 184–198 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02296008

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02296008

Keywords

Navigation