Ethnic diversity and citizens’ support for local public good provision: Evidence from California parcel tax elections

Daniel Jones and Crystal Zhan

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2020, vol. 174, issue C, 108-130

Abstract: How does ethnic diversity within a jurisdiction impact residents’ demand for local public goods? This question is central to the literature on diversity and local spending but remains relatively untested. To fill this gap, we study outcomes from California school district ballot measures to increase school funding. We use an instrumental variable approach to account for endogeneity in diversity. We find no evidence that diversity impacts willingness to be taxed to fund local schools. Our findings suggest that the negative effects of diversity on spending may be occurring through other channels, such as the decision-making of local officials.

Keywords: Ethnic diversity; Local public goods; Education finance; Parcel tax (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:174:y:2020:i:c:p:108-130

DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2020.03.012

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