Measuring Regulatory Intensity by the Spanish Regions (1978-2009)

Abstract

This paper constructs several objective indicators of regulatory intensity in the context of the Spanish decentralization since 1978. Our aim is to develop a quantitative measure of the levels of regulatory intensity set by different regions in Spain. The dynamic nature of the decentralization process requires that we take into account the initial institutional framework for decentralization and the successive transfers of powers to the regions. As a result, we obtain a series of variables that measure regulatory intensity across Spanish regions in the period 1978-2009.

Regulation and rent‐seeking: The role of the distribution of political and economic power

“…In particular, in our model, a higher fiscal gap might result in a higher subnational government regulation, which redistributes income among individuals, and income inequality might increase. Our model also provides a possible explanation for the strong regulatory activity of Spanish regions reported by and Marcos, Santaló, and Sánchez-Graells (2010). In particular, Spanish regional governments might be using regulations to benefit some groups of individuals owing to some type of economic and political power.…”

“…Using objective proxies for legislative and regulatory activity such as the number of pages and number of new norms published in the Spanish regional legislative reporters, Marcos and Santaló () and Marcos et al . () report a strong and increasing regulatory activity of Spanish regional governments in the period 1978–2009. They also find that this heavy regulatory activity has had a strong negative impact on regional innovation and productivity.…”

Is the Spanish Constitutional Court an instrument of the central government against the Autonomous Communities?

“…3 1 On the "regulatoy inflation" of the Autonomous Communities, see Marcos et al (2010). López-Laborda and Vallés (2010) analyze the determinants of the regulatory activity of the Autonomous Communities between 1989 and 2001 and show the relevance of some variables, such as the existence of nationalist political parties in regional governments.…”

The economic impact of legislation and litigation on growth: a historical analysis of Italy from its unification to World War II

“…Nonetheless, legislation may also have a negative effect: an excessive accumulation of laws may lead to an unsustainable level of legislative complexity (Bardhan, 2002; Dawson and Seater 2013; Di Vita, 2017; Friedman, 2004; Marcos et al , 2010). Indeed, legislative complexity is considered an obstacle to growth in many countries (OECD, 2014).…”

“…19It is impossible to consider the quality of legislation using other variables such as the number of pages or the number of bytes, even though this could be useful, as discussed in Marcos et al (2010). …”