Abstract
We develop a model that links tax evasion, corruption, and public good provision.
In our model, citizens pay or evade taxes into the public fund, which a corrupt
governor redistributes. Each citizen forms expectations about the amount of public goods the governor should provide. After observing the actual level of public goods, a citizen punishes the governor if this level is below his expectations.
We describe three types of equilibria: tax evasion, efficient public good provision, and symmetric mixed-strategy. We show that the highest expectations can lead to no free riding (tax evasion) and the efficient level of public good provision even with the corrupt governor and without punishment for tax evasion.
In our model, citizens pay or evade taxes into the public fund, which a corrupt
governor redistributes. Each citizen forms expectations about the amount of public goods the governor should provide. After observing the actual level of public goods, a citizen punishes the governor if this level is below his expectations.
We describe three types of equilibria: tax evasion, efficient public good provision, and symmetric mixed-strategy. We show that the highest expectations can lead to no free riding (tax evasion) and the efficient level of public good provision even with the corrupt governor and without punishment for tax evasion.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published - 03 Jul 2020 |
| Externally published | Yes |