Determinants of the Primary Balance of Brazilian States
primary balance; governmental financial condition; Brazilian states; panel data; fiscal federalism.
The fiscal balance of Brazilian states depends on structural factors that the literature tends to examine in isolation, without capturing their interactions on the primary balance. This study analyzes the determinants of the primary balance of Brazil's 27 federal units over the period 2015–2024, using multiple regression with panel data. The variables investigated represent four dimensions: economic (GDP per capita), social (Human Development Index), political (electoral cycle), and demographic (population density), with Net Current Revenue as a control variable. The choice between fixed effects and random effects models will be determined by the Hausman test. The hypotheses indicate a positive effect of GDP per capita and HDI on the primary balance, and a negative effect of electoral years and population density. The central contribution lies in the integrated analysis of these dimensions within a single model, providing empirical evidence for public managers and oversight bodies on the determinants of state fiscal performance.