Download or read book Building Subnational Debt Markets in Developing and Transition Economies written by Michel Noël and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2000 with total page 54 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Because of the trend toward decentralization in more than 70 countries where the World Bank is active, subnational entities (states regions, provinces, counties and municipalities, and the local utility companies owned by them) are now responsible for delivering services and investing in infrastructure. And infrastructure investments are growing rapidly to meet increasing urban demand. How should the World Bank Group help?

Download or read book Building Subnational Debt Markets in Developing and Transition Economies written by Michel Noel and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Because of the trend toward decentralization in more than 70 countries where the World Bank is active, subnational entities - states, regions, provinces, counties, and municipalities, and the local utility companies owned by them - are now responsible for delivering services and investing in infrastructure. And infrastructure investments are growing rapidly to meet increasing urban demand. How should the World Bank Group help?Subnational debt markets can be a powerful force in a country's development. Through delegated monitoring by financial intermediaries and through debt placed directly with investors, sub-national debt markets account for about 5 percent of GDP in Argentina and Brazil. But they remain embryonic in most developing and transition economies.To resolve a potential clash between the increased financing needs of subnational entities and the limited development of domestic subnational debt markets, it is critical to support the orderly, efficient emergence of such debt markets.As a framework for policy reform, the following steps (mirroring typical weaknesses) are prerequisites for developing a country's subnational debt market:middot; Reducing moral hazard.middot; Improving market transparency.middot; Strengthening market governance.middot; Establishing a level playing field.middot; Developing local capacity for accounting, budgeting, and financial management.In countries where the government shows a clear commitment to market development, says Noel, the IBRD should support the framework needed for policy-based operations that establish hard budget constraints. In doing so, the IBRD should concentrate on (1) supporting national and local capacity building in those areas essential for developing a subnational debt market and (2) financing specific subnational projects with strictly nonrecourse loans.At the same time, the World Bank Group should offer a variety of lending and guarantee instruments that encourage private financing for investments by subnational entities - including, for example, equity participation in (or lines of credit or partial credit guarantees to) financial intermediaries specializing in subnational investment finance or in funds for financing local infrastructure.This paper - a product of the Private and Financial Sectors Development Unit, Europe and Central Asia Region - was prepared as background for a manual on policy issues relating to domestic debt markets. Michel Noel may be contacted at [email protected].

Download or read book Subnational Capital Markets in Developing Countries written by Mila Freire and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2004 with total page 700 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This publication has been prepared by staff members of the World Bank and selected guest contributors. It sets out a framework to study subnational governments as borrowers and the range of credit markets in which they may operate. It also contains a number of case studies which detail the recent experience of 18 countries in developing markets for subnational borrowers., and offer insights into lessons to be drawn on fostering responsible credit market access within a framework of fiscal and financial discipline. Other issues discussed include: the issuing of municipal debt and its characteristics, and the role of macroeconomic conditions and market development in the success or failure of those borrowings.

Download or read book Information Resolution and Subnational Capital Markets written by Christine R. Martell and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2021-08-10 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive explanation of information institutions as they relate to the success of subnational capital markets Global trends in decentralization and the growing role of world cities have increased the importance of infrastructure development. But with competing incentives of suppliers and borrowers of capital in the web of institutional governance arrangements, information problems are inevitable. Understanding how local choices affect these larger trends can help national and city actors not just avoid being paralyzed by information problems, but actually improve information resolution. In this book Christine R. Martell, Tima Moldogaziev, Salvador Espinosa argue that capital markets are a viable financing alternative for subnational borrowers. They explain how subnational governments can manage their fiscal and debt choices to leverage capital markets to finance efficient, effective, and equitable infrastructure provision. The book builds on previous work by exploring the role of information institutions as they relate to the success of subnational capital markets and by advancing options for subnational government to gain agency as active market participants. With broad geographic coverage, Information Resolution and Subnational Capital Markets answers core questions: How does information permeate the landscape and outcomes of subnational government borrowing, both at the aggregate national level and at the city level? What measures and mechanisms can national and subnational governments take to resolve information problems? And, what can cities do to enhance their agency vis-à-vis central governments and capital market actors, so that they can command a voice in managing internal and external sources of capital financing?

Download or read book Guidelines on Local Government Borrowing and Recent Developments in NALAS Countries written by Gjorgi Josifov and published by NALAS. This book was released on 2011-01-01 with total page 154 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Local Government Finance and Bond Markets written by Yun-hwan Kim and published by Asian Development Bank. This book was released on 2003 with total page 588 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Publisher Description

Download or read book Central and Local Government Relations in Asia written by Naoyuki Yoshino and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sustainable and inclusive growth in emerging Asian economies requires high levels of public investment in areas such as infrastructure, education, health, and social services. The increasing complexity and regional diversity of these investment needs, together with the trend of democratization, has led to fiscal decentralization being implemented in many Asian economies. This book takes stock of some major issues regarding fiscal decentralization, including expenditure and revenue assignments, transfer programs, and sustainability of local government finances, and develops important findings and policy recommendations.

Download or read book Infrastructure Finance written by Henry A. Davis and published by Euromoney Books. This book was released on 2008 with total page 668 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Gives a broad view of trends and techniques in infrastructure financing around the world today. The title considers a wide range of projets including transport, water systems, power and toll road privatisation. Themes include the rising need for infrastructure investment, the quality of country infrastructure, government budget limitations and benefits and risks of investment." - publisher's website.

Download or read book Infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean written by Marianne Fay and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2007 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book reviews Latin America's experience with infrastructure reform over the last fifteen years. It argues that the region's infrastructure has suffered from public retrenchment and unrealistic expectations about private involvement. Poor infrastructure now hampers productivity, growth, and poverty reduction. Addressing this requires more and better spending, and acceptance that governments remain central to infrastructure provision and supervision, although the private sector still has an important role to play.

Download or read book Global Waves of Debt written by M. Ayhan Kose and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2021-03-03 with total page 403 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The global economy has experienced four waves of rapid debt accumulation over the past 50 years. The first three debt waves ended with financial crises in many emerging market and developing economies. During the current wave, which started in 2010, the increase in debt in these economies has already been larger, faster, and broader-based than in the previous three waves. Current low interest rates mitigate some of the risks associated with high debt. However, emerging market and developing economies are also confronted by weak growth prospects, mounting vulnerabilities, and elevated global risks. A menu of policy options is available to reduce the likelihood that the current debt wave will end in crisis and, if crises do take place, will alleviate their impact.

Download or read book Regional Problems and Policies in Latin America written by Juan R. Cuadrado-Roura and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2014-01-07 with total page 541 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This contributed volume is the first book in English to offer a current and critical vision of regional problems and policies in the countries of Latin America. The book is in three main parts: a general overview of regional processes and trends in Latin America as a whole; country-level coverage of seven individual countries; and comparative analyses of common major problems such as migration, education, labor, poverty, decentralization, exports and foreign direct investments. Written by renowned academics and experts from the region, the book seeks to provide a better understanding of regional challenges and trends, regional disparities that exist in many Latin American countries and the increasing importance of metropolitan areas.

Download or read book Designing Direct Subsidies for Water and Sanitation Services Panama a Case Study written by Andrés Gómez-Lobo, Jonathan Halpern, Vivien Foster and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 1999 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: May 2000 - An alternative to traditional subsidies for water and sanitation services is direct subsidies - funds governments provide to cover part of the water bill for households that meet certain criteria. Issues associated with such a subsidy are analyzed through a case study of Panama. As an alternative to traditional subsidy schemes in utility sectors, direct subsidy programs have several advantages: they are transparent, they are explicit, and they minimize distortions of the behavior of both the utility and the customers. At the same time, defining practical eligibility criteria for direct subsidy schemes is difficult and identifying eligible households may entail substantial administrative costs. Foster, Gomez-Lobo, and Halpern, using a case study from Panama, discuss some of the issues associated with the design of direct subsidy systems for water services. They conclude that: · There is a need to assess - rather than assume - the need for a subsidy. A key test of affordability, and thus of the need for a subsidy, is to compare the cost of the service with some measure of household willingness to pay. · The initial assessment must consider the affordability of connection costs as well as the affordability of the service itself. Connection costs may be prohibitive for poor households with no credit, suggesting a need to focus subsidies on providing access rather than ongoing water consumption. · A key issue in designing a direct subsidy scheme is its targeting properties. Poverty is a complex phenomenon and difficult to measure. Eligibility must therefore be based on easily measurable proxy variables, and good proxies are hard to find. In choosing eligibility criteria for a subsidy, it is essential to verify what proportion of the target group fails to meet the criteria (errors of exclusion) and what proportion of nontarget groups is inadvertently eligible for the benefits (errors of inclusion). · Administrative costs are roughly the same no matter what the level of individual subsidies, so a scheme that pays beneficiaries very little will tend not to be cost-effective. It is important to determine what proportion of total program costs will be absorbed by administrative expenses. · Subsidies should not cover the full cost of the service and should be contingent on beneficiaries paying their share of the bill. Subsidies for consumption above a minimum subsistence level should be avoided. Subsidies should be provided long enough before eligibility is reassessed to avoid poverty trap problems. · The utility or concessionaire can be helpful in identifying eligible candidates because of its superior information on the payment histories of customers. It will also have an incentive to do so, since it has an interest in improving poor payment records. Thought should therefore be given at the design stage to the role of the service provider in the implementation of the subsidy scheme. · The administrative agency's responsibilities, the sources of funding, and the general principles guiding the subsidy system should have a clear legal basis, backed by regulations governing administrative procedures. · To reduce administrative costs and avoid duplication of effort, it would be desirable for a single set of institutional arrangements to be used to determine eligibility for all welfare and subsidy programs in a given jurisdiction, whether subnational or national. This paper - a product of the Finance, Private Sector, and Infrastructure Sector Unit, Latin America and the Caribbean Region - is part of a larger effort in the region to evaluate and disseminate lessons of experience in designing policies to improve the quality and sustainability of infrastructure services and to enhance access of the poor to these basic services. The authors may be contacted at [email protected] or [email protected].

Download or read book What Can We Learn about Country Performance from Conditional Comparisons Across Countries written by Martin Ravallion and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2000 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Existing methods for assessing latent country or institutional performance can yield deceptive results.

Download or read book The Tyranny of Concepts CUDIE Cumulated Depreciated Investment Effort is Not Captial written by Lant Pritchett and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 1999 with total page 46 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: May 2000 - Using the word capital to represent two different concepts is not such a problem when government is responsible for only a small fraction of national investment and is reasonably effective (as in the United States). But when government is a major investor and is ineffective, the gap between capital and cumulative, depreciated investment effort (CUDIE) may be enormous. A public sector steel mill may absorb billions as an investment, but if it cannot produce steel it has zero value as capital. The cost of public investment is not the value of public capital. Unlike for private investors, there is no remotely plausible behavioral model of the government as investor that suggests that every dollar the public sector spends as investment creates capital in an economic sense. This seemingly obvious point has so far been uniformly ignored in the voluminous empirical literature on economic growth, which uses, at best, cumulated, depreciated investment effort (CUDIE) to estimate capital stocks. But in developing countries especially, the difference between investment cumulated at cost and capital value is of primary empirical importance: government investment is half or more of total investment. And perhaps as much as half or more of government investment spending has not created equivalent capital. This suggests that nearly everything empirical written in three broad areas is misguided. First, none of the estimates of the impact of public spending identify the productivity of public capital. Even where public capital could be very productive, regressions and evaluations may suggest that public investment spending has little impact. Second, everything currently said about total factor productivity in developing countries is deeply suspect, as there is no way empirically to distinguish between low output (or growth) attributable to investments that created no factors and low output (or growth) attributable to low (or slow growth in) productivity in using accumulated factors. Third, multivariate growth regressions to date have not, in fact, controlled for the growth of capital stock, so spurious interpretations have emerged. This paper - a product of Poverty and Human Resources, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to understand the importance of public sector actions for economic growth.

Download or read book Taxing Issues with Privatization A Checklist written by and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2000 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Information and Modeling Issues in Designing Water and Sanitation Subsidy Schemes written by Andrés Gómez-Lobo and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2000 with total page 46 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evaluating design alternatives is a first step in introducing optimal water subsidy schemes. The definition of appropriate targeting criteria and subsidy levels needs to be supported by empirical analysis, generally an informationally demanding exercise. An assessment carried out in Panama revealed that targeting individual households would be preferable to geographically based targeting. Empirical analysis also showed that only a small group of very poor households needed a subsidy to pay their water bill.

Download or read book Borrowing by Subnational Governments written by Mrs.Teresa Ter-Minassian and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 1996-04-01 with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper presents various models of control with advantages and disadvantages, the balance of which would make it more or less suitable to a particular country's circumstances. As these circumstances evolve—as fiscal and macro imbalances improve or worsen—the preferable model may change over time. Although appealing in principle, sole reliance on market discipline for government borrowing is unlikely to be appropriate in many circumstances. This is so, because one or more of the conditions for its effective working frequently are not realized in each particular country. The increasing worldwide trend toward devolution of spending and revenue-raising responsibilities to subnational governments seems likely to come into growing conflict with systems of administrative controls by the central government on subnational borrowing. Rules-based approaches to debt control would appear preferable, in terms of transparency and certainty, to administrative controls and also to statutory limits defined in the context of the annual budget process, the outcome of which may be unduly influenced by short-term political bargaining.