What Do We Really Know about Municipal Finance?
Department
Political Science and International Affairs
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2008
Abstract
Despite claims that cities have experienced fiscal stress, data from other sources show that cities have endured financial challenges by finding new revenue sources and techniques. An analysis of census data from 1967–2000 indicates that the pattern of municipal revenues has changed from reliance on property tares to greater reliance on charges. While revenues have outpaced expenditures, both revenues and expenditures have grown far more than would have been necessary to keep pace with inflation and indicate a worrisome trend toward borrowing. However, limitations of current data collection raise questions of validity. Data collection and reporting must improve if appropriate policy decisions are to follow.
Journal Title
Politics & Policy
Journal ISSN
1555-5623
Volume
33
Issue
1
First Page
114
Last Page
135
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1111/j.1747-1346.2005.tb00211.x