政府距离与基层公共服务供给——来自地方政府驻地迁移的证据

Geographical Distance Between Different Levels of Government and Public Service Provision--Evidence from the Relocation of Local Government Sites

本文通过构建财政分权体制背景下最优公共服务支出结构分析框架,揭示与上级政府空间距离变化如何影响下级政府公共服务支出选择。基于中国地方政府驻地迁移改革所导致的上下级政府相对位置变动,本文通过构建双重差分模型,检验了这一外生冲击对基层公共服务供给的影响。研究结果表明:第一,与上级政府相对距离变远的地区公共服务供给水平得到显著提高;第二,影响机制分析发现,距离上级政府变远提高了基层政府自主性,在分权激励下,基层政府倾向通过增加民生性公共服务供给来满足辖区内公共服务需求;第三,政策效应具有明显的异质性,这体现在低财政压力、高城镇化地区的政策效应更为明显。

By developing an analytical framework to examine the optimal structure of public service expenditure within a fiscal decentralization system,this paper aims to shed light on how the geographical distance between higher and lower levels of government influences the public service expenditure choices made by the latter.Utilizing the reform of local government residency relocation in China as a natural experiment,this study investigates the impact of this exogenous shock on the provision of grassroots public services by employing a double-difference model.The findings of this study reveal several key insights.Firstly,areas that are relatively further away from the higher level of government experience a significant improvement in the level of public service provision.Secondly,the analysis of the underlying mechanism suggests that increased geographical distance from the higher level of government enhances the autonomy of grassroots governments,leading them to meet the demand for public services within their jurisdiction by increasing the supply of livelihood public services,driven by the incentive of decentralization.Lastly,there is notable heterogeneity in the policy effects,with areas experiencing low fiscal pressure and high urbanization exhibiting a more pronounced impact.