An Empirical Analysis on the fiscal managements and the voters' value judgments

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26380376
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Public finance/Public economy
• Research Institution: Nihon University
• Principal Investigator: Kawade Masumi 日本大学, 経済学部, 教授 (00361890)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 財政運営 / 公的負担 / 構造的財政収支 / 財政見通し / 経済見通し

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research focused on the relationships between the fiscal managements and the voters' value judgments by micro- and macro-based empirical analyses. The results show that (1) fiscal situations of local government were getting better according to their regional product, (2) households' public burdens were getting heavier along with lower income, (3) high income households tended to have a sense of well-being and interests on political issues, and (4) fiscal managements in Japan were influenced by optimistic macroeconomic estimates. These results indicate the gaps between the rich and the poor were getting wider and we should rethink our policy behaviors for them.

Free Research Field

財政学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究成果は財政再建が進んでいない我が国財政において、有権者の経済状態や価値判断の関係から、その原因把握を試みるものである。その結果、地方においては県内総生産が高いほど財政状況がよく、家計から見た場合には低所得世帯の負担が高所得世帯に比べて相対的に高まっていること、高所得世代ほど幸福感や政治的関心が高いこと、財政運営上の判断が楽観的なマクロ経済見通しに影響を受けている点が明らかとなった。これらは恵まれた経済状況の地域や家計とそうでない地域や家計で差が生じつつあり、それらを直視しない楽観的な政策運営がなされている可能性を示唆しており、政策態度の修正の必要性を示唆している。