Download or read book Fiscal Federalism and Government Size in Transition Economies written by International Monetary Fund and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 1999-12-01 with total page 29 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper examines the relationship between fiscal decentralization—the assignment of revenue sources and expenditure functions across government levels—and government size in Moldova. The empirical results—based on data for a cross-section of Moldovan subnational governments in 1998—suggest that fiscal decentralization is associated with larger subnational governments and that the country’s revenue-sharing system imposes a constraint on subnational spending. Moldova is currently undergoing unprecedented reform of its system of intergovernmental fiscal relations, and consolidation of its local government. This reform package is crucial to ensure that decentralization does not increase the size of government.

Download or read book Fiscal Federalism and Government Size in Transition Economies written by Luiz R. de Mello and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper examines the relationship between fiscal decentralization, the assignment of revenue sources and expenditure functions across government levels, and government size in Moldova.

Download or read book Fiscal Federalism in Switzerland written by Bernard Dafflon and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2005 with total page 78 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Its highly fragmented structure of local governments and serious horizontal fiscal imbalances make Switzerland a surprisingly powerful model for Eastern European countries that are currently facing the challenge of fiscal decentralization. In spite of the substantial differences in the tradition and current practice of intergovernmental fiscal relations, transition economies may learn valuable lessons from the Swiss case in the fields of direct democracy, horizontal cooperation, expenditure and revenue assignment, and fiscal discipline. Among other conclusions, the authors suggest that subnational authorities can effectively fend off recentralization attempts of the central government if they engage in spontaneous cooperation to enhance the efficiency of public service provision. Together with an adequate fiscal equalization scheme, interjurisdictional cooperation also permits the reconciliation of the objective of an increasing devolution of powers with the existing regional disparities. The authors also show that the principle of subsidiarity can best be safeguarded by anchoring the expenditure and revenue powers of subnational governments in the constitution or in a similarly strong law. With regard to fiscal discipline, the combination of a "golden rule" with direct democratic instruments of budget control is proven to be successful in enhancing the accountability of local politicians toward their constituencies.

Download or read book Fiscal Decentralization in Developing and Transition Economies written by Anwar Shah and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2004 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Transition to Market written by Mr.Vito Tanzi and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 1993-06-15 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The IMF has been a major participant in the challenge of transforming many African, Asian, and European countries from centrally planned to market economies. The authors of this book, mainly staff members of the IMF, have distilled their firsthand experience with fiscal reform in transition economies into 15 case studies of these countries. In doing so they analyze issues of privatization, fiscal federalism, social safety nets, and the net worth of the Soviet Union. The editor of the volume is Vito Tanzi, Director of the IMF's Fiscal Affairs Department.

Download or read book The Economics of Fiscal Federalism and Local Finance written by Wallace E. Oates and published by Edward Elgar Pub. This book was released on 1998-01-01 with total page 723 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: '. . . this compilation of articles to fiscal federalism and local finance is of highest quality and a must for each scholar interested in this field. Moreover, it is edited by Wallace Oates who is the father of the analysis of fiscal federalism. Thus, it is no surprise that the book contains the most outstanding classical papers in the field. All in all, this selection of papers is the best that can be drawn from the literature. . . . this volume . . . has been published right in time to set the pace for the future.' - Lars P. Feld, Kyklos This volume presents an authoritative collection of the most significant papers on fiscal federalism and local finance. In addition to some classic papers, it offers clear and insightful presentations of conventional wisdom in the field as well as recent papers which illuminate important issues and point the way to ongoing research. Topics covered include federal tax structure and the division of fiscal functions among levels of government, the effect of local taxes on economic growth, the systems of governmental grants, income redistribution, the theory and practice of local finance and fiscal decentralization in developing countries and transitional economies.

Download or read book Decentralization Or Fiscal Autonomy written by Serdar Yilmaz and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2004 with total page 30 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper examines the importance of fiscal autonomy in the analysis of decentralization. Using new data published by the OECD (2001 and 2002), it reproduces several indicators and proposes new measures of decentralization that take into consideration subnational governments' autonomy over their revenues. Two models are reproduced: Davoodi and Zou (1998) on decentralization and economic growth, and Oates (1985), on decentralization and public sector size. Some evidence suggests that fiscal autonomy positively affects economic growth. Also, it seems to affect the size of the state, but evidence on this relation is limited. Despite some statistical weaknesses, there are sufficient indications to argue that subnational governments' fiscal autonomy should be a major concern when measuring decentralization. This paper - a product of the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Division, World Bank Institute - is part of a larger effort in the institute to take a critical look at the nature and implications of measuring the fiscal dimension of decentralization.

Download or read book Fiscal Aspects of Evolving Federations written by David E. Wildasin and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 1998 with total page 35 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: February 1998 Establishing hard rather than soft budget constraints in intergovernmental fiscal relations is perhaps the most important challenge facing developing economies as they decentralize. Recent experience with fiscal decentralization in many developing and transition economies has led many observers to question whether fiscal decentralization undermines macroeconomic stability. In several countries, transfers from central to lower-level governments have increased fiscal deficits at the central level, creating pressures on central banks to monetize additional debt, thus jeopardizing price stability. In other countries, central governments trying to control their deficits have reduced transfers to lower-level governments, creating fiscal distress at lower levels. These issues of macroeconomic fiscal stability have not featured prominently in North American policy debates about fiscal federalism, nor has much academic research been devoted to them. In a world where the state's basic political organization is undergoing rapid reform and restructuring, the tensions and opportunities created by fiscal interactions among levels of government are of critical concern. Much of the literature on fiscal federalism has been geared to the situation in such industrial countries as Canada and the United States. Policymakers and researchers should identify the institutional structures of stable, mature federations that help sustain satisfactory macro-economic performance. But different policy problems are likely to arise in different settings, especially in the developing world. Among topics that deserve further research attention: * The interplay between intergovernmental grants and government borrowing. * What is the difference in effect on lower-level governments between hard and soft budget constraints? What economic distortions are associated with soft budget constraints? What institutional reforms might help to establish hard budget constraints? * Is the country still the appropriate unit of analysis for important economic issues? What economic benefits or costs result from including several regions within one jurisdictional structure? What economic considerations determine the optimal size of a country and what are the crucial economic functions of national governments? * Demographic change, changes in communication and transportation technology, and the development of market institutions may alter the optimal or equilibrium boundaries of political units over time. Such change invariably raises questions about the organization of the public sector and the assignment of expenditures and revenues to different levels of government. The patterns of gains and losses from reorganizing factor markets and jurisdictional structures can be complex. To understand them fully requires understanding the economic consequences of changes in both market organization and policy outcomes resulting from reorganization of the public sector. This paper-a product of Public Economics, Development Research Group-is part of a larger effort in the group to study fiscal decentralization and the organization of government.

Download or read book Reforming Intergovernmental Fiscal Relations and the Rebuilding of Indonesia written by James Alm and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2005-01-01 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Indonesia is currently facing some severe challenges, both in political affairs and in economic management. One of these challenges is the recently enacted decentralization program, now well underway, which promises to have some wide-ranging consequences. This edited volume presents original papers, written by a select group of widely recognized and distinguished scholars, that take a hard, objective look at the many effects of decentralization on economic and political issues in Indonesia. There are many questions about this program: how will it be implemented, is there capacity at the local level to implement its reforms, is there sufficient local political accountability to make it work, and how will the decentralization affect the broader program of economic growth and stabilization? Topics covered include: the historical and political dimensions of decentralization, its macroeconomic effects, its effects on poverty alleviation, the assignment of expenditure and revenue functions across levels of government, the design of transfers, the role of natural resource taxation and the effects of local government borrowing. An authoritative, comprehensive collection, Reforming Intergovernmental Fiscal Relations and the Rebuilding of Indonesia will be of interest to economists and policy makers as well as students of public finance, development, and Asian economics.

Download or read book Fiscal Decentralization and Intergovernmental Relations in Transition Economies written by Richard Miller Bird and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 1993 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Designing a well-functioning intergovernmenal fiscal system is essential to the success of all the transitional economies' major reform goals: privatization, macroeconomic stability, more efficient performance and economic growth, and an adequate social safety net.

Download or read book Fiscal Decentralization in Developing and Transition Economies written by Anwar Shah and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shah discusses the revolution in public sector thinking that is transforming the public sectors of developing and transition countries. Countries are reconsidering their fiscal systems and searching for the right balance between central government control and decentralized governance. Political decentralization has advanced in most countries. Subnational expenditures in developing countries as a percentage of total public expenditures have also increased over the past two decades. However, the process is far from complete. In many countries, the central government is still involved in the delivery of local services, local governments have few sources of own-revenues, local governments have limited access to borrowing for capital projects, and the design of intergovernmental transfers does neither address regional fiscal equity nor convey appropriate incentives for fiscal discipline, improved service delivery performance, and accountability to citizens.Decentralized public governance can help realign public sector incentives through greater accountability to citizens, and attenuate the quot;democracy deficitquot; caused by globalization and the role of supranational institutions and regimes. However, this requires careful examination of the entire fiscal system. Elements of a comprehensive package of fiscal system reforms would include:- Clarifying roles of various levels of government in public service delivery.- Reassigning taxing responsibilities to ensure local revenue autonomy, accountability, and efficiency without endangering an internal common market.- Designing fiscal transfers to ensure regional fiscal equity and to create an enabling environment for innovative and competitive service delivery.- Facilitating responsible credit market access to subnational governments.- Designing institutional arrangements for intergovernmental fiscal relations to better coordinate policies.- Aligning operational capacity with the authorizing environment through the quot;accountability for resultsquot; framework of public management.This paper - a product of the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Division, World Bank Institute - is part of a larger effort in the institute to disseminate ideas in strengthening responsive, responsible, and accountable public governance.

Download or read book The Reform of Intergovernmental Fiscal Relations in Developing and Emerging Market Economies written by Anwar Shah and published by Washington, D.C. : World Bank. This book was released on 1994 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An important dimension of public sector reform in developing and emerging market economies has been the loosening of central control over the private sector and lower level governments. The author's overview of the principles and best practices of fiscal federalism should help guide policy debates on restructuring intergovernmental fiscal arrangements. Strong emphasis on central planning impedes innovative responses to local issues by local governments and stymies private sector development. Decentralization should be the rule, the author argues, unless a strong case can be made for centralizing specific responsibilities. Local public services can be provided more efficiently if expenditures more closely match local needs and preferences. More closely linking benefits to costs also promotes accountability. Increased fiscal autonomy can also help mobilize more revenue from local sources, improving a country's fiscal position. And decentralized desicion-making encourages local participation in development. Constitutional responsibilities should be stated clearly and precisely. Tax and spending assignments should be determined simultaneously, so revenue means are matched as closely as possible to spending needs at each level of government. In most developing countries, subnational governments have limited access to their own tax bases and depend on higher level transfers. A grant's design should reflect the situation and objectives. The author gives examples. Although most countries give a high priority to limiting interregional fiscal disparities, no developing or transitional economy has adopted an explicit standard for equalization. Revenue sharing should be supplemented by an equilization program with a specified standard rather than by combining several factors into one formula. Local borrowing to meet capital expenditures is a major issue in most developing countries. In such cases, autonomous bodies can supervise and assist local borrowing for capital projects. The decentralization of responsibilities and the rationalization of intergovernmental transfers should be supported by strengthening local institutional capabilities. Monitoring, auditing, and inspections functions in most developing nations especially need to be strengthened. Transitional economies also need to give high priority to establishing or improving framework laws on property rights, corporate legal ownership and control, and bankruptcy, and financial accounting and control.

Download or read book Perspectives on Fiscal Federalism written by World Bank and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2006 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book addresses a variety of issues relating to intergovernmental finance and the provision and financing of local services including budgeting and financial management, the institutional framework for the conduct of intergovernmental relations, appropriate methods of service delivery in metropolitan agglomerations and remote rural areas, local government enterprises, user charges, property taxes, income and value-added taxes, natural resource taxes, and local business taxes. Throughout, the authors draw on experience both in Canada and in other decentralized ountries and consider to varying extents the special problems facing Russia and other large transitional economies.

Download or read book Decentralization of the Socialist State written by Richard Miller Bird and published by Ashgate Publishing. This book was released on 1996 with total page 480 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work explores the issues invloved in redesigning intergovernmental relations in Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, the Russian Federation and the Ukraine, and highlights issues of municipal finance in Budapest and the special case of division of revenue of natural resources taxation and asymmetrical federalism issues in Russia. Extensive political and fiscal decentralization in now underway in many countries in central and eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. This volume focuses on the elements of decentralization in the transition economies that distinguish them from the rest of the world. Transition economies are different from market economies because of the prior stronghold of the central government on the whole economy.

Download or read book Macroeconomic Management and the Devolution of Fiscal Powers written by Paulo Flavio Nacif Drummond and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2002-04 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Several of the transition economies are devolving fiscal authority to subnational governments at a time when it is also important to consolidate fiscal policy. This can be problematic because, without appropriate care, the central government's ability to determine the level and structure of revenues, public spending, and borrowing may well diminish as fiscal policy is devolved. This paper focuses on how the center can maintain its ability to conduct fiscal policy while devolving revenue, spending, and borrowing powers to lower levels of government. Empirical evidence shows that countries with good governance have maintained fiscal control despite a high degree of fiscal devolution. And decentralization is associated with better fiscal outcomes for middle-income countries with strong governance. Fiscal management issues are explored in four key areas: budget coordination mechanisms at the macro level tax-effort incentives and revenue-sharing mechanisms expenditure control and hard-budget constraints and criteria and rules for borrowing.

Download or read book A Practitioner s Guide to Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers written by Anwar Shah and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2006 with total page 60 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Intergovernmental fiscal transfers are a dominant feature of subnational finance in most countries. They are used to ensure that revenues roughly match the expenditure needs of various orders (levels) of subnational governments. They are also used to advance national, regional, and local area objectives, such as fairness and equity, and creating a common economic union. The structure of these transfers creates incentives for national, regional, and local governments that have a bearing on fiscal management, macroeconomic stability, distributional equity, allocative efficiency, and public services delivery. This paper reviews the conceptual, empirical, and practice literature to distill lessons of policy interest in designing the fiscal transfers to create the right incentives for prudent fiscal management and competitive and innovative service delivery. It provides practical guidance on the design of performance-oriented transfers that emphasize bottom-up, client-focused, and results-based government accountability. It cites examples of simple but innovative grant designs that can satisfy grantors' objectives while preserving local autonomy and creating an enabling environment for responsive, responsible, equitable, and accountable public governance. The paper further provides guidance on the design and practice of equalization transfers for regional fiscal equity as well as the institutional arrangements for implementation of such transfer mechanisms. It concludes with negative (practices to avoid) and positive (practices to emulate) lessons from international practices.

Download or read book Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers written by Robin W. Boadway and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2007 with total page 630 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The design of intergovernmental fiscal transfers has a strong bearing on efficiency and equity of public service provision and accountable local governance. This book provides a comprehensive one-stop window/source of materials to guide practitioners and scholars on design and worldwide practices in intergovernmental fiscal transfers and their implications for efficiency, and equity in public services provision as well as accountable governance.