DECENTRALIZATION OF PUBLIC SPENDING AND ECONOMIC GROWTH: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON THE EUROPEAN UNION

The goal of this paper is to analyze the impact of fiscal decentralization on the economic growth in the European Union. The emphasis has been put on the public spending carried out at a local level. The empirical investigation is based on regression analysis. The regression model includes the GDP growth rate as a dependent variable and fiscal decentralization indicators as independent variables. The results support the conventional understanding among scientists and politicians for a positive impact of spending decentralization on the economic growth.