Publications in refereed journals

Direct Democracy and Local Public Finances under Cooperative Federalism,
Scandinavian Journal of Economics, accepted (with Zareh Asatryan, Theocharis Grigoriadis, and Friedrich Heinemann).
Intergovernmental transfers, local fiscal policy, and the flypaper effect: evidence from a German State,
FinanzArchiv / Public Finance Analysis, accepted.
Election cycles and electricity provision: evidence from a quasi-experiment with Indian special elections,
Journal of Public Economics, 126, p. 64-73, 2015 (with Yogesh Uppal and Brian Min).
Tax innovations and public revenues in sub-Saharan Africa,
Journal of Development Studies, 51, p. 689-706, 2015 (with Pelle Ahlerup and Arne Bigsten).
Has globalization affected collective bargaining? An empirical test, 1980-2009,
World Economy, accepted (with Zohal Hessami).
Identifying local tax mimicking with administrative borders and a policy reform,
Journal of Public Economics, 118, p. 41-51, 2014.
Taxation and democratization,
World Development 56, p. 287-301, 2014.
Coalition governments, cabinet size, and the common pool problem: evidence from the German States,
European Journal of Political Economy, 32, p. 356-376, 2013.
The economics and empirics of tax competition: a survey and lessons for the EU,
Erasmus Law Review, 7:1, 2013 (with Mariana Lopes da Fonseca).
Do bailouts buy votes? Evidence from a panel of Hessian municipalities,
Economics of Governance 45, p. 257-278, 2013.
Fiscal capacity and government accountability in sub-Saharan Africa,
World Development 45, p. 92-107, 2013 (with Arne Bigsten).
Fiscal decentralization and economic growth in OECD countries: Is there a relationship?,
Public Finance Review 41, p. 421-445, 2013 (with Lars P. Feld).
Tax decentralization and public deficits in OECD countries,
Publius: The Journal of Federalism 42, p. 688-707, 2012.
Public education spending in a globalized world: is there a shift in priorities across educational stages?,
International Tax and Public Finance 19, p. 677-707, 2012 (with Zohal Hessami).
Revenue decentralization and inflation: a re-evaluation,
Economics Letters 116, p. 298-300, 2012.
Creative destruction and fiscal institutions: A long-run case study of three regions,
Journal of Evolutionary Economics 22, p. 563-583, 2012 (with Lars P. Feld and Jan Schnellenbach).
Soft budget constraints and strategic interactions in subnational borrowing: evidence from the German States, 1975-2005,
Journal of Urban Economics 71, p. 114-127, 2012.
Fiscal decentralization, ideology, and the size of the public sector,
European Journal of Political Economy 27, 485-506, 2011.
The Heckscher-Ohlin Model and the network structure of international trade,
International Review of Economics and Finance 20, p. 135–145, 2011 (with Florian Blöchl, Tilman Brück, and Fabian Theis).
Federalism, budget deficits and public debt: On the reform of Germany's fiscal constitution,
Review of Law and Economics 4(3), 2010 (with Lars P. Feld).
On the link between fiscal decentralization and public debt in OECD countries,
Public Choice 145, p. 351-378, 2010.
Supranational integration and national reorganization: On the Maastricht treaty's impact on fiscal decentralization in EU countries,
Constitutional Political Economy 21, 309-335, 2010.
Did the Maastricht treaty matter for macroeconomic performance?,
Kyklos 62, p. 331-358, 2009.

Book chapters

Political decentralization and the effectiveness of aid, in: Arne Bigsten (ed.), Globalization and development: rethinking interventions and governance, New York: Routledge, forthcoming (with Arne Bigsten and Zohal Hessami).
La II Comisión del Federalismo: reformas recientes de las relaciones financieras entre la federación y los Länder en Alemania,
in: J. L. Laborda, M. Kölling and F. Knüpling (eds.), La reforma del sistema de financiación de las Communidades Autónomas -- perspectivas internacionales, Centro de Estudios Políticos y Constitucionales, Madrid 2010 (with Lars P. Feld).
Zur Reform der deutschen Finanzverfassung,
in: G.G. Schulze (eds.), Reformen für Deutschland - die wichtigsten Handlungsfelder aus ökonomischer Sicht, Schäffer-Poeschel, Stuttgart 2009 (with Lars P. Feld).
The Swiss system of fiscal federalism: lessons for the German reform discussion,
in: Ralf Thomas Baus, Raoul Blindenbacher und Ulrich Karpen (eds.), Competition vs. cooperation: German fiscal federalism in need of reform - a comparative perspective, Nomos, Baden-Baden 2007, S. 298-320 (with Lars P. Feld).
Das Schweizer Modell des fiskalischen Föderalismus: Lehren für die deutsche Reformdiskussion,
in: Kai. A. Konrad und Beate Jochimsen (eds.), Der Föderalstaat nach dem Berlin-Urteil, Peter Lang, Frankfurt et al. 2007, S. 105-133 (with Lars P. Feld).

Miscellanea

Die Ökonomie des Länderfinanzausgleichs,
WIST, 42 (5), 2013.
Die deutsche Schuldenbremse -- ein institutioneller Fortschritt?,
WIST 38(10), 2009 (with Lars P. Feld and Jan Schnellenbach).
(Extreme) Haushaltsnotlage in Bremen?, Finanzwissenschaftliches Gutachten im Auftrag der Länder Baden-Württemberg, Bayern, Hessen, Nordrhein-Westfalen und Sachsen, Juni 2007 (with Lars P. Feld and Jan Schnellenbach).

Working Papers

Electoral competition and endogenous political institutions: quasi-experimental evidence from Germany, Mimeo, University of Göttingen, 2014 (with Mariana Lopes da Fonseca).
The effect of direct democracy on the level and structure of local taxes, Mimeo, University of Göttingen, University of Freiburg, and ZEW Mannheim, 2013 (with Zareh Asatryan and Friedrich Heinemann).
Electoral thresholds and the success of minor parties, Mimeo, University of Göttingen, 2014 (with Mariana Lopes da Fonseca).
Fiscal federalism, decentralization and economic growth: A meta-analysis, Mimeo, University of Heidelberg, 2014 (with Lars P. Feld and Jan Schnellenbach).
Ideology and fiscal policy: quasi-experimental evidence from the German States, Mimeo, University of Göttingen, 2012.
How are political and fiscal institutions related to the likelihood of fiscal crises and the success of fiscal adjustments?, Mimeo, Universities of Göttingen and Konstanz, 2011 (with Zohal Hessami).
Monetary integration, soft budget constraints, and the EMU sovereign debt crises, Mimeo, Universities of Göttingen and Konstanz, 2011 (with Zohal Hessami).
Depressing dependence: transfers and economic growth in the German States., Mimeo, University of Heidelberg, 2013 (with Lars P. Feld and Sarah Necker).