Issue:
3(93)2023
Vesna Garvanlieva Andonova, Borce Trenovski
Determinants of Local Revenue Mobilisation: Do Governmental Transfers and Public Investment Matter? A Case of the Western Balkan Countries
DOI: 10.7366/1509499539301
Determinants of Local Revenue Mobilisation: Do Governmental Transfers and Public Investment Matter? A Case of the Western Balkan Countries
Local governments in the Western Balkan countries are dependent on central governments’ transfers, with low fiscal autonomy and limited efforts for own-source revenue mobilisation. The paper identifies that besides central government transfers, other significant factors in determining municipal own-source revenues include central and local public investment, current expenditures, human development index, and population density. Municipal own-source revenue is adversely affected by intergovernmental transfers, implying their de-incentivising effect in collecting local revenues. Local capital expenditure is a significant and strong determinant with a higher strength than central government investments, suggesting their importance for local fiscal autonomy. The human development index as a composite measure, unlike GDP per capita, positively affects the municipal fiscal autonomy.
Determinants of Local Revenue Mobilisation: Do Governmental Transfers and Public Investment Matter? A Case of the Western Balkan Countries
Local governments in the Western Balkan countries are dependent on central governments’ transfers, with low fiscal autonomy and limited efforts for own-source revenue mobilisation. The paper identifies that besides central government transfers, other significant factors in determining municipal own-source revenues include central and local public investment, current expenditures, human development index, and population density. Municipal own-source revenue is adversely affected by intergovernmental transfers, implying their de-incentivising effect in collecting local revenues. Local capital expenditure is a significant and strong determinant with a higher strength than central government investments, suggesting their importance for local fiscal autonomy. The human development index as a composite measure, unlike GDP per capita, positively affects the municipal fiscal autonomy.
Affiliation:
Vesna Garvanlieva Andonova: Ss. Cyril and Methodius University Skopje, Faculty of Economics – Skopje; Center for Economic Analyses CEA, Skopje, blvd. Jane Sandanski 63/3, 1000 Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia; ORCID: 0000-0002-0735-1781;
vesna_nl@yahoo.com Borce Trenovski: Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Faculty of Economics – Skopje, blvd. Goce Delcev 9-v, 1000 Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia; ORCID: 0000-0002-3630-9486;
borce@eccf.ukim.edu.mk