U.S. State Fiscal Policy and Natural Resources

Alexander James

No 2014-02, Working Papers from University of Alaska Anchorage, Department of Economics

Abstract: An analytical framework predicts that, in response to an exogenous increase in resource-based government revenue, a benevolent government will partially substitute away from taxing income, increase spending and save. Fifty-one years of U.S.-state level data are largely consistent with this theory. A baseline fixed effects model predicts that a $1.00 increase in resource revenue results in a $0.25 decrease in non-resource revenue, a $0.43 increase in spending and a $0.32 increase in savings. Instrumenting for resource revenue reveals that a positive revenue shock is largely saved and the rest is transferred back to residents in the form of lower non-resource tax rates.

Keywords: Severance Tax; Fiscal Policy; Natural Resources (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H20 Q38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014-08
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-pbe and nep-pub
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Forthcoming in the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy

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http://www.econpapers.uaa.alaska.edu/RePEC/ala/wpaper/ALA201402.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: US State Fiscal Policy and Natural Resources (2015)
Working Paper: U.S. State Fiscal Policy and Natural Resources (2013)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ala:wpaper:2014-02

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