Journal Article
The state of state and local government finance
Fisher, Ronald C. (2010-10)
This paper provides an overview of the state-local government sector, a review of the short-run impact of the 2007-09 recession on state and local governments, and a brief summary of key long-run challenges state and local governments will encounter in the next decade. State and local governments in aggregate represent about one-seventh of the U.S. economy, with education and welfare (mostly Medicaid) accounting for more than half. These governments currently face nearly unprecedented fiscal turmoil as a result of the recent recession. Even after the economy recovers, states and localities ...
Regional Economic Development , Issue Oct , Pages 4-22

Journal Article
Effects of state and local public services on economic development
Fisher, Ronald C. (1997-03)
What impact do the quality and mix of state and local public services exert on economic development? Do high-quality services foster economic growth, even if accompanied by a high level of taxation? Are certain types of firms more sensitive to service quality than others? What are the difficulties inherent in measuring service quality, and how have investigators dealt with them?> Paper: Ronald C. Fisher> Discussion of Papers on Taxation and Public Services: Timothy J. Bartik, Harley T. Duncan, Therese J. McGuire, and Robert M. Ady
New England Economic Review , Issue Mar , Pages 53-82

Report
Why is state and local government capital spending lower in the New England states than in other U.S. states?
Sullivan, Riley; Fisher, Ronald C. (2016-07-01)
This report explores several hypotheses as to why state and local governments in New England have been spending less on capital investment than the national average, on a normalized basis. Census data show that state and local capital spending in all six New England states was well below the national average between 2000 and 2012, whether measured on a per capita basis, as a share of personal income, or as a share of state and local government spending. To explore why this is so, this report considers how capital spending has changed over time, how capital spending differs by state and across ...
New England Public Policy Center Policy Reports , Paper 16-1