Existing literature suggests that subnational level borrowing is contingent on revenue structure and fiscal balance factors. At the same time, contexts play a role, whereby debt burdens of subnational governments may be higher or lower depending on fiscal institutions or market structure. Comparative evidence on how contexts shape subnational borrowing, however, is lacking. To this end, we revisit how fiscal factors relate to subnational government borrowing from a comparative perspective using two distinct cases, based on data from the Italian regions and American states in 2008–2018. Bayesian analyses of panel data show that the revenue burden in both Italy and the U.S., marginally, matters for long-term borrowing, but not for short term debt. […]