Fiscal Impacts of the Opioid Crisis on State and Local Governments

Robert Bifulco, Iuliia Shybalkina

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Adverse effects of the opioid crisis on individuals influence the need for state and local government expenditures and erode their tax bases. Systematic estimates of the magnitude of such fiscal impacts are lacking. We estimate the magnitude of the effect of the opioid crisis on state and local expenditures and discuss approaches that might be taken to evaluate the impact of the crisis on revenues. We find that the fiscal impacts of the opioid crisis on state and local governments are modest for the U.S. as a whole but are likely to be greater in states with particularly high rates of opioid-use disorders. Our analysis aims to encourage and guide more in-depth studies in the future. Such studies can inform intergovernmental aid policies designed to offset the fiscal impacts of opioid misuse and can also contribute to assessing damages in opioid lawsuits.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)324-349
Number of pages26
JournalAnnals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
Volume703
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by The American Academy of Political and Social Science.

Keywords

  • criminal justice expenditures
  • economic cost
  • fiscal impact
  • health care expenditures
  • income tax revenue
  • opioid epidemic
  • state and local government

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Sociology and Political Science
  • General Social Sciences

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