Finance and economics
Our research
Why?
Public funding is important: without resources there is no policy! Efficiency and equity considerations should guide this process. The question is how these interact with behavioural insights and with political factors.
How?
Time series analysis / panel data analysis / dif-in-dif analysis / experiments
What?
Research questions central to this include: Is the local tax structure politically determined? How do local tax choices influence the re-election chances of politicians? How decisive are local taxes for the citizens’ choice of residence and, indirectly, for the objective tax capacity of a municipality? Are local taxes an intermediary variable in their decision on how satisfied they are with local policy?
Do grants gravitate more towards municipalities with political affiliations in Brussels? How can we optimise grant flows? What is the importance of our fiscal federalism and party-political context in this? How can we optimise regional taxes? Which models predict regional tax receipts? How to nudge taxes so that they become more acceptable? What determines tax compliance?
Publications
- Isebaert, D., Heylen, F., & Smolders, C. (2015). Houses and/or jobs: ownership and the labour market in Belgian districts. REGIONAL STUDIES, 49(8), 1387–1406.
- Goeminne, S., Smolders, C., & Vandorpe, E. (2017). The real impact of a one-off fiscal restriction : empirical evidence of a flypaper effect in Flemish municipalities. PUBLIC MONEY & MANAGEMENT, 37(4), 285–292
- Goeminne, S., & Smolders, C. (2014). Politics and public infrastructure investments in local governments: empirical evidence from Flemish municipalities (1996-2009). LOCAL GOVERNMENT STUDIES, 40(2), 182–202.