Spillover effects of remittances on local public spending in developing economies

Authors

  • Raul Alberto Ponce Rodriguez Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, Department of Social Science, Ciudad Juárez, Mexico https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0851-2687
  • Benito Alan Ponce Rodriguez Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, Institute of Engineering and Technology, Ciudad Juárez, Mexico https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4550-2103
  • Juan Carlos Medina Guirado Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, Department of Social Science, Ciudad Juárez, Mexico https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3597-9031

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18559/ebr.2024.4.1229

Keywords:

local public goods, spillovers, state and local government, interregional inequality, remittances

Abstract

We develop a political economy model to study spatial spillover effects of remittances on local public goods with inter-regional positive externalities. Our theory shows that spillovers of remittances are asymmetric with a complex pattern that depends on the degree of externalities of public spending, the inter-regional inequality of income, and whether local public goods are complementary or substitutes. We develop several tests to be verified empirically, for instance our theory shows that if local public goods are substitutes and externalities are moderate, remittances received by households in one locality increase government spending in that locality but reduce spending in other districts. If externalities are significant, remittances affect local public spending in high-income localities but does not affect spending in low-income localities.

JEL Classification

Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement (D63)
Remittances (F24)
Public Goods (H41)
State and Local Government • Intergovernmental Relations (H7)

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Abdih, Y., Chami, R., Dagher, J., & Montiel, P. (2012). Remittances and institutions: Are remittances a curse? World Development, 40(4), 657–666. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2011.09.014 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2011.09.014
View in Google Scholar

Adida, C. L., & Girod, D. M. (2011). Do migrants improve their hometowns? Remittances and access to public services in Mexico, 1995–2000. Comparative Political Studies, 44(1), 3–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/0010414010381073 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0010414010381073
View in Google Scholar

Azizi, S. (2021). The impacts of workers’ remittances on poverty and inequality in developing countries. Empirical Economics, 60(2), 969–991. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00181-019-01764-8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00181-019-01764-8
View in Google Scholar

Benhamou, Z. A., & Cassin, L. (2021). The impact of remittances on savings, capital and economic growth in small emerging countries. Economic Modelling, 94, 789– 803. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2020.02.019 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2020.02.019
View in Google Scholar

Easton, M. R., & Montinola, G. R. (2017). Remittances, regime type, and government spending priorities. Studies in Comparative International Development, 52, 349– 371. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12116-016-9233-7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12116-016-9233-7
View in Google Scholar

Hankla, C. R., Martinez-Vazquez, J., & Rodríguez, R. A. (2019). Local accountability and national coordination in fiscal federalism: A fine balance. Edward Elgar Publishing. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781788972178
View in Google Scholar

Johansson, O. (1997). Optimal Pigouvian taxes under altruism. Land Economics, 73(3), 297–308. https://doi.org/10.2307/3147169 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/3147169
View in Google Scholar

Kochi, I., & Ponce Rodríguez, R. A. (2010). Do remittances crowd out the government’s redistributive policy? Journal of Economic Development, 35(4), 45–72. https://doi.org/10.35866/caujed DOI: https://doi.org/10.35866/caujed.2010.35.4.003
View in Google Scholar

Myers, G., (1990). Optimality, free mobility, and the regional authority in a federation. Journal of Public Economics, 43, 107–121. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0047-2727(90)90053-K
View in Google Scholar

Page, J., & Plaza, S. (2006). Migration remittances and development: A review of global evidence. Journal of African Economies, 15(2), 245–336. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jae/ejl035
View in Google Scholar

Ponce Rodríguez, R. A., & Ponce Rodríguez, B. A. (2022). Remittances and the size and composition of government spending. Revista de Economía y Finanzas Nueva Época, 18(4), 1–36. https://doi.org/10.21919/remef.v18i4.745 DOI: https://doi.org/10.21919/remef.v18i4.745
View in Google Scholar

Salas, V. B. (2014). International remittances and human capital formation. World Development, 59, 224–237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2014.01.035 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2014.01.035
View in Google Scholar

Scotchmer, S. (2002). Local public goods and clubs. In: A. Auerbach, M. Feldstein (Eds.), Handbook of public economics (vol. 4, 1997–2042). Elsevier. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1573-4420(02)80008-8
View in Google Scholar

Wellisch, D. (1994). Interregional spillovers in the presence of perfect and imperfect household mobility. Journal of Public Economics, 55(2), 167–184. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0047-2727(94)90050-7
View in Google Scholar

Wittman, D. A. (1983). Candidate motivation: A synthesis of alternative theories. The American Political Science Review, 77(1), 142–157. https://doi.org/10.2307/1956016 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1956016
View in Google Scholar

World Bank Report. (2023). Remittances. World Bank Group. https://www.knomad.org/publication/migration-and-development-brief-39
View in Google Scholar

Downloads

Published

2024-12-21

Issue

Section

Research article- regular issue

How to Cite

Ponce Rodriguez, R. A., Ponce Rodriguez, B. A., & Medina Guirado, J. C. (2024). Spillover effects of remittances on local public spending in developing economies. Economics and Business Review, 10(4). https://doi.org/10.18559/ebr.2024.4.1229

Similar Articles

31-40 of 122

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.