DEMAND FOR LOCAL PUBLIC GOODS: EMPIRICAL TEST OF A MEDIAN VOTER MODEL FOR 205 COUNTIES IN THE U.S.A.

This paper can be integrated in the set of studies that following the first work by Borcheding and Deacon have tested different specifications of Median Voter Models. The main innovation in this paper results from the use of a proxy variable for income distribution, in order to test in what degree the amount demanded of public goods reflects the existence of different income concentrations. An adjustment in the tax share for spatial tax incidence is also used. Finally, the fit of the model for counties above and under median population is analyzed allowing us to make some inference about the relationship between the adequacy of the analysis and “distance” between voters and representatives.