Political Economy in Federal States

Federal states are lively sources of data on the economics and politics of the public sector. In this rich collection of essays, some of which are previously unpublished, Stanley Winer makes use of these data from Canada, the United States and Australia to explore a variety of issues including: the political economy of intergovernmental grants, the evolution of tax structure, the re-assignment of fiscal powers among jurisdictions, the nature of special interest groups, fiscally-induced internal migration and macroeconomic policy. Other chapters exploit the unique Canadian experience with both fixed and flexible exchange rate regimes to test ideas about the macroeconomic consequences of subcentral fiscal policy in a small, open federal country, the role of the exchange rate mechanism in the international transmission of economic activity, and the relationship between monetary growth and political popularity. A concern with the integration of economics and politics is evident throughout this book, which will be essential reading for all economists and political scientists with an interest in the public sector.