Natural resource windfalls and efficiency of local government expenditures: evidence from Peru

We study the role of natural resource windfalls in explaining the efficiency of public expenditures. Using a rich dataset of expenditures and public good provision for 1,836 municipalities in Peru for period 2001-2010, we estimate a non-monotonic relationship between the efficiency of public good provision and the level of natural resource transfers. Local governments that were extremely favored by the boom of mineral prices were more efficient in using fiscal windfalls whereas those benefited with modest transfers were more inefficient. These results can be explained by the increase in political competition associated with the boom. However, the fact that increases in efficiency were related to reductions in public good provision casts doubts about the beneficial effects of political competition in promoting efficiency.

Análisis de la priorización del gasto público social y su incidencia en las condiciones de vida de la población colombiana en el gobierno del presidente Álvaro Uribe Vélez (2002 - 2010)

en esta investigación diagnóstica se desarrolla un análisis en torno a las asignaciones presupuestales referentes al gasto público social durante el gobierno del presidente Uribe Vélez y como dichas asignaciones incidieron en las condiciones y la calidad de vida de la población colombiana. Finalmente, el autor de esta investigación propone una alternativa de solución al problema planteado presentando algunos nuevos parámetros para que la asignación del GPS cumpla con los objetivos propuestos de eficacia y eficiencia.