TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the possible influence of financial health of local governments (LGs) on the re-election of politicians.Design/methodology/approach The study investigates a sample of 129 Italian LGs with more than 50,000 inhabitants for the period 2008–2014, resulting in 903 observations. A regression model has been implemented, where the dependent variable refers to the probability of re-election, and different dimensions of financial health are the independent variables.Findings Budgetary and service-level solvency influence positively the probability of re-election of the major, while the ability of the government to generate liquidity to pay its short-term debts is not statistically relevant. Moreover, the sustainability dimension of budgetary solvency is more relevant than the flexibility and vulnerability dimensions.Practical implications To be re-elected, local politicians are advised to pay attention to and preserve the social welfare of citizens with the available resources.Originality/value This study adds fresh insight to the literature on financial health, emphasising the relevance of public financial management in the re-election of local politicians.
VL  - 31
IS  - 3
SN  - 1096-3367
DO  - 10.1108/JPBAFM-10-2018-0114
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBAFM-10-2018-0114
AU  - Cuadrado-Ballesteros Beatriz
AU  - Santis Serena
AU  - Citro Francesca
AU  - Bisogno Marco
PY  - 2019
Y1  - 2019/01/01
TI  - Does financial health influence the re-election of local governments?
T2  - Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management
PB  - Emerald Publishing Limited
SP  - 345
EP  - 363
Y2  - 2024/09/19
ER  -