E62 - Fiscal PolicyReturn

The financial crisis placed budget and fiscal policy sustainability on the centre stage of researches. Recently, a number of studies have suggested that the researcher should take use of the simplest models, because they provide accurate forecasting results. This present study falls in line with this new research direction, follows a simple intertemporal budget constraint, calculates primary gap in some selected years (2004, 2009, 2014) and tests assumptions for short-term in Visegrad Group Countries. Results indicate that the fiscal stance of V4 countries was varied. In most of the examined years, the fiscal policy of the countries have seemed to be unsustainable, which pointed out the fact that the fiscal controls are need to be strengthened in short- and long-term too.

The article provides direct empirical evidence on fiscal decentralisation and economic development in selected European countries in a period 1995-2012. The research (based on data taken from OECD Fiscal Decentralisation Database and OECD) is performed on a panel, which contains 17 unitary countries. Explanatory variables are not examined in individual regressions, but study newly uses Generalized Method of Moments. For a model specification, Dynamic Panel Data Model Wizard is applied. Results of dynamic panel analysis suggest positive and statistically significant impact of expenditure decentralisation and stronger but negative effect of revenue decentralisation on economic development. Effect of tax decentralisation seems to be negative but statistically insignificant. These findings are enormously interesting as the relationship between the different decentralisation measures and economic performance evolves in opposite directions and countries tend to increase revenue fiscal decentralisation over the last years.