Fiscal Dynamics of State and Local Governments
Organized by Jeffrey Clemens and James M. Poterba
Supported by the Smith Richardson Foundation
September 11-12, 2025
NBER, 1050 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA
Format: 30 minutes for the author; 15 minutes for the discussant; and 15 minutes for open discussion
Thursday, September 11
8:30am
Breakfast
9:00am

Intergovernmental Grants to School Districts and Educational Outcomes During the COVID-19 Pandemic


Slides
Jeffrey Clemens, University of California, San Diego and NBER
Philip G. Hoxie, University of California, San Diego
Stan Veuger, American Enterprise Institute

Discussant:
Thomas J. Kane, Harvard University and NBER (slides)
10:00am

How Political Institutions Shape Education Spending: Supermajority Requirements in U.S. School Investments (slides)

Barbara Biasi, Yale University and NBER
Julien M. Lafortune, Public Policy Institute of California
David Schoenholzer, University of Southern California and NBER

Discussant:
Jeffrey Milyo, University of Missouri (slides)
11:00am
Break
11:20am

Fiscal Transfers to Local Governments and the Distribution of Economic Activity

Teemu Lyytikäinen, VATT Institute for Economic Research
Sander Ramboer, VATT institute for economic research
Max Toikka, Aalto University

Discussant:
Pauline Leung, Cornell University (slides)
12:20pm
Lunch
1:15pm

Access to Loans and Local Development

Renata M. Cafe, Inter-American Development Bank

Discussant:
Diana Moreira, University of California, Davis and NBER (slides)
2:15pm

State Capacity and Infrastructure Costs

Zachary Liscow, Yale University
William H. Nober, Columbia University
Cailin R. Slattery, University of California, Berkeley

Discussant:
Edward L. Glaeser, Harvard University and NBER
3:15pm
Break
3:45pm

Elderly State Income Tax Incentives and Migration: Evidence from Administrative Tax Data (slides)

Karen Smith. Conway, University of New Hampshire
John Isaac Iselin, Congressional Budget Office
Jonathan Rork, Reed College

Discussant:
Mathilde Muñoz, University of California, Berkeley and NBER
4:45pm

Breaking Down the U.S. Employment Multiplier Using Micro-Level Data (slides)

Edoardo Briganti, Bank of Canada
Brendan Dwyer, University of California, San Diego
Ricardo Duque Gabriel, Federal Reserve Board
Victor Sellemi, University of California, Davis

Discussant:
Gabriel Chodorow-Reich, Harvard University and NBER (slides)
5:45pm
Adjourn
6:30pm
Dinner, Henrietta’s Table
Friday, September 12
8:00am
Breakfast
8:30am

State Government Debt Structure

Oliver Giesecke, Stanford University

Discussant:
Daniel Bergstresser, Brandeis University (slides)
9:30am

Telework and Local Tax Performance (slides)

David R. Agrawal, University of California, Irvine
Jeff Bjarke, Tennessee Department of Revenue
William F. Fox, University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT)

Discussant:
Kim Rueben, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy (slides)
10:30am
Break
11:00am

Do State and Local Governments Offer Competitive Compensation?

Byron Lutz, Federal Reserve Board of Governors
David D. Ratner, Federal Reserve Board of Governors
Louise Sheiner, The Brookings Institution

Discussant:
Alexandre Mas, University of California, Berkeley and NBER (slides)
12:00pm
Adjourn