Spatial Decentralization and Program Evaluation: Theory and an Example from Indonesia

Nidhiya Menon and Mark Pitt ()

No 16, Working Papers from Brandeis University, Department of Economics and International Business School

Abstract: This paper proposes a novel instrumental variable method for program evaluation that only requires a single cross-section of data on the spatial intensity of programs and outcomes. The instruments are derived from a simple theoretical model of government decision-making in which governments are responsive to the attributes of places and their populations, rather than to the attributes of individuals, in making allocation decisions across space, and have a social welfare function that is spatially weakly separable, that is, that the budgeting process is multi-stage with respect to administrative districts and sub-districts. The spatial instrumental variables model is then estimated and tested by GMM with a single cross-section of Indonesian census data. The results offer support to the identification strategy proposed.

Keywords: Spatial Decentralization; Program Evaluation; Instrumental Variables; Indonesia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C21 C50 H44 O12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 31 pages
Date: 2010-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev, nep-ecm, nep-geo, nep-pbe, nep-sea and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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http://www.brandeis.edu/economics/RePEc/brd/doc/Brandeis_WP16.pdf First version, 2010 (application/pdf)

Related works:
Working Paper: Spatial Decentralization and Program Evaluation: Theory and an Example from Indonesia (2010)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:brd:wpaper:16

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