The purpose of this paper is, considering the theoretical approach proposed by Rogoff & Si-bert (1988) and Rogoff (1990), to attempt to find out evidences of rational budget cycles in São Paulo state municipalities, between 1989 and 2001, by using panel data and binary dependent variable (probit and logit) econometric models. Evidences of positive expenditure impulses in electoral years were found for those unities and, although the results for 2000 are different from the results obtained for 1992 and 1996, there is no acceptance of the hypothesis of voters' rationality in the way predicted by the rational opportunistic cycle theory.
electoral cycles; public municipal budget; panel data; probit
