The Budgetary Repercussions of Capital Convictions

Advances in Economic Policy and Analysis, Vol. 4, No. 1, Article 6, 2004

Posted: 10 Sep 2004

See all articles by Katherine Baicker

Katherine Baicker

Harvard University - Department of Health Policy & Management; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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Abstract

Understanding how transient fiscal distress affects the stability and distribution of local budgets is increasingly important as control of public spending and revenues becomes more decentralized. This paper exploits the large and unexpected shock to county budgets imposed by capital crime trials, first to understand the incidence of the cost of capital convictions, and second to uncover the effects of local fiscal distress on the level and distribution of public spending and revenues. I show that these trials are quite costly relative to county budgets (with each trial causing an increase in county spending of more than $2 million), and that the costs are borne primarily by increasing taxes (although perhaps partially by decreases in police and capital spending). Using these trials as a source of exogenous variation, I also find significant inter-jurisdictional spillovers of both spending and revenues.

Keywords: Fiscal federalism, local public finance, capital punishment

Suggested Citation

Baicker, Katherine, The Budgetary Repercussions of Capital Convictions. Advances in Economic Policy and Analysis, Vol. 4, No. 1, Article 6, 2004, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=587144

Katherine Baicker (Contact Author)

Harvard University - Department of Health Policy & Management ( email )

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Boston, MA 02115
United States

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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