地方政府公共服务支出均等化测度与改革路径——来自1995—2012年省级面板数据的估计

Measurement of Equalization of Public Service Spending on Chinese Local Government and Reform Path——An Estimate Based on 1995—2012 Provincial Panel Data

近年来,中国地方政府间公共服务支出差异逐年拉大,为了测算这个差异拉大的速度,文章利用Barro&Sala-i-Martin(1992)趋同模型对中国31个省1995—2012年间公共服务支出差异拉大的速度进行了测度。研究发现,中国地方政府公共服务支出以2.11%~2.28%速度逐渐拉大;在东、中、西地区分项检验中,东部以2.71%速度逐渐趋向均等化;中部均等化趋向不明;西部以3.02%逐渐拉大。文章还发现经济增长、政府间财政转移支付与中国地方政府间公共服务支出差异呈正向关系,这说明经济增长不平衡和政府间财政转移支付拉大中国地方政府间公共服务支出差异。文章的发现为提升中国实现公共服务均等化提供了改革路径,未来改革应该是以经济均衡发展为导向,在此基础上逐步完善中国政府间财政支付制度改革,进而"熨平"中国地方政府间公共服务支出差异。

The objective of this article is to measure the speed of widening differences on public services spending. This article estimates the speed of widening differences on public services spending in all Chinese provinces from 1995 to 2012 by employing Barro&Sala-i-Martin(1992)'s model. The study finds the differences of public services spending in China are widening at the speed 2.11%~2.28%. The tests in this article show that public services spending in Eastern China is equalizing significantly at the speed 2.71%. The equalization tend of public services spending in Central China is not clearly demonstrated. In Western China,the differences of public service spending are widening significantly at the speed 3.02%. The article also finds that economic growth and inter-governmental fiscal transfer payment have a positive relationship with the differences of public services spending among Chinese local governments,which shows the imbalance of economic growth and government fiscal transfer payments is widening the differences of public services spending among Chinese local governments.The findings of this article will provide a reform path for enhancing the equalization of public services spending in China. Future reforms should take balanced economic development as their orientation. On this basis,the reform on financial payment system among Chinese local governments would be gradually improved,thus 'smoothing ' the differences of public services spending among Chinese local governments. This article firstly employs Barro & Sala-i-Martin(1992)'s model to measure the differences of public services spending among Chinese local governments,which not only raise the awareness of the status quo of the differences of public services spending among Chinese local government,but also enrich the application range of Barro & Sala-i-Martin(1992)' s model.