Strategic interaction among local governments, fiscal spending competition and regional economic growth

Using a spatial econometric model, this paper investigates strategic interaction among provincial governments regarding expenditures, the mechanism behind expenditures interaction and their effects on economic growth in China. Our conclusion is as follows: Significant strategic interaction exists among provincial governments regarding expenditures mainly owing to fiscal competition mechanism in China, and expenditures interaction has changed significantly since tax sharing system reform, which has had positive effects on regional economic growth. This conclusion has significant implications for the optimization of public functions, size and structure of local governments in China.