Finanzpolitik als Nachahmungswettbewerb: Empirische Ergebnisse zu Budgetinterdependenzen unter den Schweizer Kantonen

In: Swiss political science review: SPSR = Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft = Revue suisse de science politique, Band 10, Heft 2, S. 61-85

Abstract

This article examines whether spending decisions in Swiss cantons are interdependent, ie, whether the decisions of one canton are influenced by those of other cantons. Theoretically, fiscal policy imitation among cantons can be interpreted as a process of policy & innovation diffusion, as a result of tax competition, or as a consequence of federalism as a policy laboratory. The panel analysis presented in this article provides evidence of the existence of budget spillovers among neighboring cantons. Cantonal governments do not make spending decisions in isolation, but by systematically comparing the fiscal policies in neighboring cantons. 2 Tables, 1 Appendix, 60 References. Adapted from the source document.