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Pick Your Poison: Do Politicians Regulate When They Can’t Spend?


Noel D. Johnson


George Mason University - Department of Economics; George Mason University - Mercatus Center

Matthew D. Mitchell


George Mason University - Mercatus Center

Steven Yamarik


California State University, Long Beach - Department of Economics

May 26, 2012

GMU Working Paper in Economics No. 12-53

Abstract:     
We investigate whether laws restricting fiscal policies across U.S. states lead politicians to adopt more partisan regulatory policy instead. We show that partisan fiscal policy outcomes do exist across U.S. states, with Republicans cutting taxes and spending and Democrats raising them. We then investigate whether these partisan policy outcomes are moderated in states with no-carry restrictions on public deficits. Lastly, we test whether unified Republican or Democratic state governments regulate more when constrained by no-carry fiscal restrictions. We find mixed evidence that no-carry laws restrict partisan fiscal outcomes but robust evidence that they tend to lead to more partisan regulatory outcomes.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 34

Keywords: Regulation, Taxation, Local Public Finance, U.S. States, Balanced Budget Rules

JEL Classification: H11, H71, D02, K32, L51

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Date posted: April 7, 2012 ; Last revised: October 1, 2012

Suggested Citation

Johnson, Noel D., Mitchell, Matthew D. and Yamarik, Steven, Pick Your Poison: Do Politicians Regulate When They Can’t Spend? (May 26, 2012). GMU Working Paper in Economics No. 12-53. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2035611 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2035611

Contact Information

Noel D. Johnson (Contact Author)
George Mason University - Department of Economics ( email )
4400 University Drive
Fairfax, VA 22030
United States
George Mason University - Mercatus Center
3401 N. Fairfax Dr.
Ste. 450
Arlington, VA 22201-4433
United States
Matthew D. Mitchell
George Mason University - Mercatus Center ( email )
Steven Yamarik
California State University, Long Beach - Department of Economics ( email )
1250 Bellflower Blvd
Long Beach, CA 90840-4607
United States
HOME PAGE: http://www.csulb.edu/~syamarik
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