Economic Growth and Fiscal Planning in New York

by William Duncombe

Overview

In an era of federal deficits and struggling municipalities, states have emerged as the most significant governmental actors. But state governments face the major challenge of fiscal planning in the midst of economic change. Roy Bahl and William Duncombe tackle this challenge head-on. Using New York as a case study, they identify looming dangers for state revenue and expenditure planning.Bahl and Duncombe begin with the premise that one cannot separate an evaluation of fiscal performance from an evaluation of economic performance. Accordingly, they describe and analyze the patterns of population, employment, and personal income growth. Following this is a study of state and local government finances in New York since 1970 and a recounting of the fiscal adjustments that were taken in the face of slower and then faster growth in the economy.The authors conclude that based on current conditions, the state and its local governments are in for fiscal belt-tightening. They note that the state should take a comprehensive view in planning the development and retrenchment of its government sector. The book is thought-provoking, exhaustively researched, and sensibly written. Its lessons are applicable everywhere and should be read by all those seeking a route through the tangled thicket of government policy for economic growth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781412848398
Publisher:	Transaction Publishers
Publication date:	09/15/2012
Pages:	355
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Roy Bahl is Regents Professor and founding dean of the Andrew Young School, Georgia State University. He has consulted on fiscal matters with governments in developing and transitioning economies all over the world, as well as with the International Monetary Fund, the Asian Development Bank, the US Agency for International Development, the United Nations, and the World Bank. His books include Tax Policy and Economic Development and Making the Property Tax Work: Experiences in Developing and Transitional Countries.

William Duncombe was professor of public administration and senior research associate for the Center for Policy Research at Syracuse University. His work has appeared in many professional journals, including National Tax Journal, International Tax and Public Finance, and Public Budgeting & Finance.

Table of Contents

Introduction; 1: New York’s Economy in the 1980s; 1: Population; 2: Employment; 3: Personal Income; 2: New York’s Fiscal Performance and Health; 4: The Public Sector in New York in the 1980s; 5: Explaining Government Growth in New York; 6: Fiscal Health and Responsiveness; 3: New York’s Finances in the 1990s; 7: Violence in the Home; 8: Conclusions