How Does a Reduction in Mandated Medicaid Spending Affect Local Fiscal Behaviors? Evidence from New York State

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 495-547
Author(s):  
Yusun Kim
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Social Insurance ◽  
New York State ◽  
Property Tax ◽  
Effective Property ◽  
Medicaid Spending ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Sudden Decrease ◽  
The Impact

In 2005, New York (NY) state capped the growth of county-level Medicaid spending, which abruptly decreased counties’ Medicaid outlay in both relative and absolute terms. This study exploits this discontinuity in county Medicaid outlay to estimate the impact of the relief mandate policy on county budgets and property tax levies. It bridges a gap in the public finance literature by addressing local government responses to a sudden decrease in the outlay of a large mandatory spending category. We find a compositional change but no income effect on non-Medicaid spending. However, the policy reduced the effective property tax rate significantly by 6.6 to 8.1 percent on average among affected NY counties after the enactment of the policy relative to control counties. This study advances our understanding of local fiscal responses to an intergovernmental fiscal policy that changes how state and local governments share the costs of a large public social insurance program.

scholarly journals The Impact of Alternative Distribution Formulas on the Allocation of Revenue Sharing Funds in New York State

1974 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 124-134
Author(s):  
Harry P. Mapp
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
New York State ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Public Expenditures ◽  
Dramatic Rise ◽  
Local Government Expenditures ◽  
State And Local ◽  
The Impact

Over the past decade, a fundamental transformation has occurred in the attitudes of our citizens regarding the range, quantity and quality of services desired of all levels of government. One result has been a dramatic rise in public expenditures to provide the diverse set of services desired. For example, between 1960 and 1972, expenditures of federal, state and local governments increased from $151.3 billion to $410.3 billion, about 171 percent. Local government expenditures, which were pushed upward by expanding school enrollments and welfare caseloads, maintained their relative importance by growing from $29.0 billion to $75.4 billion, about 169 percent.

scholarly journals Leviathan or Public Steward? Evidence on Local Government Taxing Behavior from New York State

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 671-693 ◽  
Author(s):  
Austin M Aldag ◽  
Mildred E Warner ◽  
Yunji Kim
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Fiscal Federalism ◽  
New York State ◽  
Property Tax ◽  
General Purpose ◽  
Fiscal Stress ◽  
York State ◽  
Expenditure Limitations ◽  
Logistic Regressions

Abstract Fiscal federalism argues local governments compete to provide optimal tax-service bundles as responsible public stewards. In contrast, Leviathan theories argue tax and expenditure limitations (TELs) are necessary to make local governments fiscally responsible. We analyze local taxing behavior in New York State, which implemented a levy limit in 2012 that allows legislative overrides with 60 percent vote of the local governing board. Our 2017 survey of all general-purpose local governments measured fiscal stress, service responses, and local political attitudes and found 38 percent of municipalities voted to override. Logistic regressions show local governments that have more fiscal stress, weaker property tax bases, higher need, and higher employee benefit costs are more likely to override. These findings support fiscal federalism, as local governments that override are pushing back against state policy in order to respond to local needs. TELs introduce unnecessary rigidity and run counter to the precepts of fiscal federalism.

scholarly journals Strategies to Address COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Mitigate Health Disparities in Minority Populations

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate W. Strully ◽  
Teresa M. Harrison ◽  
Theresa A. Pardo ◽  
Jordan Carleo-Evangelist
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
New York State ◽  
Vaccine Safety ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Culturally Appropriate ◽  
Minority Communities ◽  
Communities Of Color ◽  
State And Local

Beyond the complex logistical task of prioritizing, distributing and safely storing millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines, state and local governments must simultaneously devise and carry out transparent plans that center equity and overcome the barriers to vaccination facing minority communities. Using insights gleaned from four focus groups conducted with health care and social service professionals serving minority communities in New York State as well as from existing research on vaccination, our results emphasize that vaccine hesitancy and access barriers—particularly within minority communities—pose significant hurdles to achieving widespread uptake of COVID-19 vaccines. Overcoming barriers requires community-engaged campaigns that acknowledge and address the historical injustices and on-going inequities that drive distrust within communities of color, emphasize understandable and culturally appropriate messages that directly address people's concerns about vaccine safety and access, and tap existing community infrastructure to make full use of trusted voices to deliver timely and accurate information about vaccines. Given emerging data and changing conditions, campaigns must also be self-reflective and adaptive, assessing progress and outcomes and reevaluating strategies as needed. However, above all, primary goals should remain focused on transparency, equity and building trust.

scholarly journals Does Home Rule Overrule the State`s Role? An Analysis of Property Tax Administration in New York State

2006 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-67
Author(s):  
Tae Ho Eom
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
New York State ◽  
Property Tax ◽  
The State ◽  
Tax Administration ◽  
Home Rule ◽  
Deep Roots ◽  
Tax System ◽  
York State

This essay analyzes the property tax system in New York State. Based on historical and comparative analyses of three critical factors in property tax administration-assessment standards, revaluation, and assessing units-this study reveals that the current property tax administration structure has deep roots in the "home rule" tradition in New York State, making it hard to achieve intradistrict equity in property tax burden for some assessing units. The study concludes that the state's lack of active role undermines public faith in the property tax system and in local governments. The state should not be overruled by the local government politics based on home rule.

Evaluating Equity Critiques in Food Policy: The Case of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages

2013 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 301-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Barnhill ◽  
Katherine F. King
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Food Policy ◽  
New York State ◽  
Assistance Program ◽  
Assistance Programs ◽  
Sweetened Beverages ◽  
Unhealthy Eating ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Nutrition Assistance

As concerns about the negative health effects of unhealthy eating and overweight/obesity increase, so too do efforts to combat obesity. Both the federal government, as well as state and local governments, have proposed and implemented a variety of healthy eating and obesity prevention policies. Many of these policies are controversial, facing objections that range from the practical (e.g., the policy will not succeed at improving people's diets) to the ethical (e.g., the policy is paternalistic or inequitable). In this paper, we consider one such policy — restrictions on food assistance programs that are meant to improve participants’ diet — and one criticism of these policies, that they are inequitable. We take as our primary example the recent, unsuccessful effort by New York State to exclude sweetened beverages from the items eligible for purchase in New York City with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, also known as food stamps).

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