Diferencias interregionales y autonomía de gasto

Abstract

This article analyzes to what extent regional inequalities in public expenditure on health, education and social services may be attributed to differences in the amount of the available resources, or to the excercise of the principle of financial autonomy. We verify that most inter-territorial differences are due both to the amount of resources provided by the regional financing model and to the net of equipments and human resources, which are largely derived from transfers from the central government. However, the relationship between public expenditure and outcomes is in many cases weak, being more relevant how resources are spent than how much is spent (particularly in health care and education). As a means to improve equity, the article proposes the use of conditional funds regularly assessed and transparently distributed.