Political opportunism and countercyclical fiscal policy in election-year recessions

Political budget cycles (PBCs) have been well documented in the literature, albeit not for all circumstances. Similarly, there is clear evidence on the positive effect of economic growth on electoral success. However, no work has been done on the impact of economic growth on the magnitude of PBCs. The theoretical model argues that a government has an incentive to increase fiscal manipulations when a recession is expected to hit and curtail reelection chances; this amounts to countercyclical policy for opportunistic rather than Keynesian motives. Very robust evidence for this behavior is found in Portuguese municipalities; in election years, budget deficits go up even more and significantly so, when a recession is expected.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT

Plasma Physics

Contains reports on three research projects.U. S. Atomic Energy Commission (Contract AT(30-1)-1842

Plasma Physics

Contains research objectives and reports on two research projects.United States Atomic Energy Commission under Contract AT(30-1)-184

Plasma Physics

Contains research objectives and reports on three research projects.United States Atomic Energy Commission (Contract AT(30-1)-1842

Plasma Physics

Contains reports on four research projects.U. S. Atomic Energy Commission (Contract AT(30-1)-1842

Young peoples’ reflections on what teachers think about family obligations that conflict with school: A focus on the non-normative roles of young caring and language brokering

In “Western” contexts school attendance is central for an ‘ideal’ childhood. However, many young people engage with home roles that conflict with school expectations. This paper explores perceptions of that process in relation two home activities - language brokering and young caring. We interviewed 46 young people and asked them to reflect on what the teacher would think when a child had to miss school to help a family member. This paper discusses the young people’s overall need to keep their out-of-school lives private from their teachers