Does Fiscal Decentralization Influence on Management Efficiency of Country Innovative Development?

Abstract

This paper summarizes the arguments and counterarguments within the scientific discussion on the influence of fiscal decentralization measures on the management of innovative country development. The main purpose of the research is to test the hypothesis that expenditure and revenue decentralizations have a positive impact on the management of innovative country development. Testing the hypothesis considers realization of panel data regression analysis, and consists of several stages, such as: 1) elimination of control variables multicollinearity based on the correlation analysis; 2) identification of the regression model specification (fixed or random effects model) with the help of Hausman test; 3) realization of the regression analysis and characteristic of its results (confirmation or rejection of the hypothesis). It also should be noted that country sample consists of 12 unitary European countries (Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, and Ukraine). Time horizon – 2008-2018. Global Innovation Index is a measure of innovative country development. At the same time, the ratio of local budget revenue to consolidated budget revenue, the rate of domestic budget expenditure to consolidated budget expenditure, the proportion of local budget tax revenue to gross local budget revenue are measures of fiscal decentralization in the research. There are also selected a set of control variables that often used in economic growth models and reflect macroeconomic perspectives of country development. However, the practical realization of the stages, as mentioned above, allow identifying that fixed effect specification of the model is more appropriate in all three cases (for three different measures of fiscal decentralization). Panel data regression analysis allows confirming the hypothesis on the positive impact of revenue fiscal decentralization and the negative impact of expenditure decentralization on innovative country development. In turn, there is no statistically significant cohesion between ratio of local budget tax revenue to gross local budget revenue and Global Innovation Index. These findings in terms of fiscal decentralization reform might be considered in order to ensure a balance between power (expenditures) redistribution from central to sub-central governments and local budget financial capacity. While in terms of innovative country development, it should be considered that the lack of local budget financial resources to cover all redistributed from central government level powers makes it impossible to invest in the development of innovation. However, the increase of local government financial capacity creates opportunities not just for essential functions financing but also advanced features investment such as innovative development. Keywords fiscal decentralization, innovation development, local budget expenditures, local budget revenue, local community.