Range of local public services and population size: Is there a 'zoo effect' in French jurisdictions? (with Hammadou H & Paty S), Louvain Economic Review, 2011, 77 (2-3), 87-104.

This article is an original contribution to work on the relationship between the range of local public services and population size. This study is based on a data set of French local jurisdictions and tests the existence of a 'zoo effect', or the idea that the range of public goods increases with the size of jurisdictions, as proposed by Oates (1988). Using spatial econometrics, we highlight some evidence for the existence of a zoo effect in French inter-municipalities, created in order to achieve economies of scale. In other terms, we find that the variety of services provided for the larger, inter-municipalities, is greater than is available to smaller communities. We observe also that the zoo effect is more intense in urban than in rural areas.