The Welfare Consequences of Centralization: Evidence from a Quasi-Natural Experiment in Switzerland
利用瑞士各州实施集权改革的时间与地区差异，采用双重差分法发现集权显著降低居民生活满意度，原因在于个人对政治决策影响力下降带来的程序性不悦，尤其影响政治参与意愿高的人群。
Abstract Many countries are reallocating tasks and powers to more central levels of government. To identify centralization's welfare effects, I use a difference-in-differences design that relies on time and cross-cantonal variation in the implementation of centralization reforms in Switzerland. I find that centralization provokes significant decreases in residents' life satisfaction. I identify one mechanism driving the effect: the procedural disutility that individuals experience from having less influence over the formulation of political decisions. This effect is largest among individuals with higher expected benefits from being involved in the political decision process, with detrimental effects on local political participation.