Discussion Paper
No. 2018-47 | June 07, 2018
Stijn Baert, Herman Matthijs and Ilse Verdievel
Voting with your wallet? Municipal budget policy and election results

Abstract

In this paper, the authors examine the impact of municipal budget policy on the percentage of votes for the incumbent majority parties in subsequent elections. They contribute to the academic literature by examining the combined influence of taxes, expenditures and debt. Based on data for Flanders (Belgium) between 1994 and 2012, they find no significant association between these budget variables and the actual election results.

JEL Classification:

D72, E62, H71, H72, P48, R50

Cite As

Stijn Baert, Herman Matthijs, and Ilse Verdievel (2018). Voting with your wallet? Municipal budget policy and election results. Economics Discussion Papers, No 2018-47, Kiel Institute for the World Economy. http://www.economics-ejournal.org/economics/discussionpapers/2018-47