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Working Paper
The subsidy from state and local tax deductibility: trends, methodological issues, and its value after federal tax reform
Even though the momentum of the "devolution" movement has slowed, federal intergovernmental grants will probably be cut substantially during the next five to ten years. Federal tax reform could further erode federal assistance by eliminating the deduction for state and local personal income and property taxes. This deduction subsidizes the net cost to taxpayers of financing an additional dollar of state and local spending. In the language of economics, deductibility reduces the marginal "tax price" of state and local public goods. This paper clarifies methodological issues in the ...
Journal Article
Cyclical swing or secular slide? Why have New England's banks been losing money?
Are the losses recently incurred by New Englands banking industry symptomatic of chronic excess capacity that will depress the industrys profitability even after the regions economy recovers from its current recession? Or can the industry restore its profitability by ridding itself of the extraordinary costs resulting from its large overhang of bad loans? This article maintains that the industry is not "overbanked" and that its underlying profitability will eventually reemerge. In support of this contention, the article provides estimates of the "normal" profitability of New Englands ...
Journal Article
Come the devolution, will states be able to respond?
Since the founding of the Republic, Americans have engaged in endless debate about the division of fiscal and regulatory responsibilities among levels of government. The controversy has often involved the concomitant question of the optimal role of government as a whole. The issue has been not only which level of government should do what, but also what government at any level should do.
Journal Article
Taking charge: should New England increase its reliance on user charges?
New England relies less on user charges for its state and local revenues than any other region of the country. As a result, some policymakers maintain that increases in user charges would correct an "imbalance" in the regions revenue mix. However, the national mix of state and local revenues is not necessarily the best mix for the states of New England. The degree to which a state should rely on u. ser charges depends on the priorities of its policymakers among competing principles of taxation, the conditions under which each principle favors user charges over taxes, and the extent to which ...
Journal Article
Effects of state and local public policies on economic development: an overview
The use of state and local public policy as an instrument of economic development is more controversial than ever. Profound technological and political changes have enhanced the geographic mobility of capital and extended firms' geographic range, intensifying competition among states and localities. At the same time, demand for state and local public services continues to rise, while impending reductions in federal aid compound the states' fiscal dilemma.> Caught between conflicting long-run fiscal pressures, state and local policymakers have sought advice on which policies are most ...
Journal Article
Retrospective of the 1980s
Journal Article
The geographic boundaries of New England's middle-lending markets
Mid-sized companies--those with annual sales between $10 million and $250 million--produce a significant percentage of the nation's output; thus, any conditions impeding their performance should concern public policymakers. One such condition may be insufficient access to short-term credit at competitive prices. In order to evaluate the competitiveness of lending markets, analysts must be able to identify their geographic boundaries. ; This article, the second in a series on middle-market lending, investigates the boundaries and concentration levels of middle-lending markets in New England. ...
Journal Article
How dependent are New England's mid-sized firms on the region's largest bank holding companies?
The degree to which mid-sized firms--the "middle market"- depend on large regional banks for short-term credit is an issue particularly relevant to New England. If this dependence is heavy, then the recent consolidation among the regions large bank holding companies could be forcing its mid-sized firms to accept short-term credit on uncompetitive terms. The dependence of New Englands middle market on the regions banking institutions as a whole, both large and small, is also of concern. The greater this dependence, the more vulnerable are the regions mid-sized firms to sharp contractions in ...