Is public official training effective at reducing costs? Evidence from survey data on Japanese municipal mergers

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to identify the fiscal effects of public official training after municipal mergers. We apply propensity score matching with the difference-in-differences method by using survey data on municipal mergers in Japan. Additionally, we investigate which types of public official training affect municipal expenditures. We focus on training for specific departments. Our main contribution is the finding that while the municipalities that implement public official training after mergers decrease personnel expenses for a few years although it does not affect total expenditure. In addition, training for specific departments decreases personnel expenses in the short term. Thus, training for specific departments is slightly effective.