Local Public Goods and the Spatial Distribution of Economic Activity

Arthur Guillouzouic and Joan Monras
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Emeric Henry

No 16085, CEPR Discussion Papers from C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers

Abstract: Using French data, we provide: a) causal evidence that a drop in local public goods provision decreases private sector activity, and b) evidence consistent with monopsony power of the public sector in local labor markets. We introduce a public sector with these two key characteristics in an otherwise standard spatial equilibrium model, and show that it delivers the main stylized facts established in our data, in particular, that the share of the public sector relative to the private is independent of the productivity of the city. We emphasize the tradeoffs between allowing governments to freely choose local public employment and wages (as in most of the US public sector), versus imposing rules that constrain public sector pay with some indexation to the local cost of living (as in many European countries). We show that wage indexation limits monopsony power -- leading to a larger public sector -- and is optimal if the indexation is sufficiently strong.

Keywords: Local public goods; Public service; market power; Spatial economics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H41 J42 J45 R12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021-04
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Related works:
Working Paper: Local Public Goods and the Spatial Distribution of Economic Activity (2021)
Working Paper: Local Public Goods and the Spatial Distribution of Economic Activity (2021)
Working Paper: Local Public Goods and the Spatial Distribution of Economic Activity (2021)
Working Paper: Local Public Goods and the Spatial Distribution of Economic Activity (2021)
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