Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Revelli Federico
Author-Email: federico.revelli@unito.it
Author-Workplace-Name: University of Turin
Author-Workplace-Homepage: http://www.est.unito.it/
Title: Spend more, get more? An inquiry into English local government performance 
Abstract: Based on a unique measure of performance of English local governments in the provision of public services
(Comprehensive Performance Assessment, CPA), this paper develops a simple analytical framework that fully 
encompasses the institutional features of the British system of local government finance in order to model the 
process of performance determination, and uses panel data (2002-2007) to identify the determinants of local 
government performance. Due to the nature of CPA ratings - measured on a five category (poor to excellent) scale - 
the empirical work relies on an ordered response approach allowing for cross-sectional heterogeneity. Maximum 
likelihood estimation of a random effects ordered probit model provides no evidence in support of the “spend more, 
get more” hypothesis, but rather suggests that spending in excess of centrally set standards has a detrimental 
effect on local public service performance. 
Length: 33 pages
Creation-Date: 2008-04
File-URL: http://www.est.unito.it/do/home.pl/Download?doc=/allegati/wp2008dip/4_wp_revelli.pdf
File-Format: Application/PDF
Handle: RePEc:uto:dipeco:200804