Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) has become an established tool in comparative analyses of efficiency strategies in both the public and the private sector. The aim of this paper is to present and apply a newly developed, adjusted DEA model – emerging from a blend of a Distance Friction...

We evaluate the effect of relaxing fiscal rules on policy outcomes applying a quasi-experimental research design. In 1999, the Italian central government introduced fiscal rules aimed at imposing fiscal discipline on municipal governments, and in 2001 the rules were relaxed for municipalities...

The paper argues that access to public infrastructure plays a crucial role on the presence of private schools in a community, as it could not only minimise the cost of production, but also ensure a high return to private investment. Results using community, school and child/household-level PROBE...

Empirical evidence suggests that regional disparities in incomes are often very high, that these disparities do not necessarily disappear as economies grow and that these disparities are itself an important driver of growth. We use a novel approach based on multilevel modeling to decompose the...

This paper deals with the influence of factor mobility on local infrastructure policy and rent-seeking activities of local interest groups. It employs a model where households differ with respect to their endowment with the immobile factor land. Local governments decide about the level of...

In this paper we investigate the determinants of local governments' technical efficiency in road maintenance for a panel of German counties using a broad variety of estimation approaches. More specifically, we calculate efficiency indices using non-parametric (DEA) and parametric (stochastic...

In Germany the government spends substantial resources on the provision of infrastructure. Apart from firms, private households are very often the beneficiaries. This paper analyses the impact of the supply of household-related public infrastructure on the personal income distribution within a...

This paper examines bureaucratic delay within the allocation of small infrastructure projects by sub-municipal governments in Bolivia, and it presents a randomized eld experiment designed to improve public service delivery by promoting voice, transparency, and accountability among grass- roots...

Investment in public infrastructure is essential to ensure competitiveness and create growth potential. Although Germany certainly has a well-developed infrastructure compared to other countries, local public infrastructure has been in decline for many years now. This means that current levels...

Investitionen in die öffentliche Infrastruktur sind eine wesentliche Voraussetzung für die Sicherung der Wettbewerbsfähigkeit und die Schaffung von Wachstumspotentialen. Zwar besitzt Deutschland im internationalen Vergleich eine durchaus gute Infrastrukturausstattung. Allerdings fährt...