Download or read book Fiscal fragmentation in decentralized countries written by Richard Miller Bird and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2014-05-14 with total page 451 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most countries, developed and developing, are fiscally decentralized with regional and local governments of varying importance. In many of these countries, some of these sub-national governments differ substantially from others in terms of wealth, ethnic, religious, or linguistic composition. This book considers how fiscal arrangements may strengthen or weaken national solidarity and the effectiveness with which public services are provided. In particular, the nation's ability to cope with changes created by decentralization is explored.
Download or read book Designing Sound Fiscal Relations Across Government Levels in Decentralized Countries written by Robin Boadway and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2018-12-10 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper discusses how decentralized countries can achieve sound fiscal relations between the central government and lower government levels. The concepts of “vertical gap” and “vertical balance” provide an analytical framework for identifying and addressing key challenges. These concepts can help policymakers ensure that the financing of subnational governments (composed of transfers received from the center, own revenues, and borrowing) is both efficient and adequate given the allocation of spending responsibilities. More generally, the paper offers some perspectives about the optimal design of decentralization systems by examining the sequencing and economic principles underlying revenue and expenditure assignments, the use of transfers, and borrowing.
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 Fiscal Decentralization and Local Finance in Developing Countries written by Roy Bahl and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2018-03-30 with total page 512 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book draws on experiences in developing countries to bridge the gap between the conventional textbook treatment of fiscal decentralization and the actual practice of subnational government finance. The extensive literature about the theory and practice is surveyed and longstanding problems and new questions are addressed. It focuses on the key choices that must be made in decentralizing, on how economic and political factors shape the choices that countries make, and on how, by paying more attention to the need for a more comprehensive approach and the critical connections between different components of decentralization reform, everyone involved might get more for their money.
Download or read book Vertical Fiscal Imbalances and the Accumulation of Government Debt written by Inaki Aldasoro and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2014-11-20 with total page 39 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Delegating fiscal decision making power to sub-national governments has been an area of interest for both academics and policymakers given the expectation that it may lead to better and more efficient provision of public goods and services. Decentralization has, however, often occurred on the expenditure and less on the revenue side, creating “vertical fiscal imbalances” where sub-national governments’ expenditures are not financed through their own revenues. The mismatch between own revenues and expenditures may have consequences for public finance performance. This study constructs a large sample of general and subnational level fiscal data beginning in 1980 from the IMF’s Government Finance Statistics Yearbook. Extending the literature to the balance sheet approach, this paper examines the effects of vertical fiscal imbalances on government debt. The results indicate that vertical fiscal imbalances are relevant in explaining government debt accumulation suggesting a degree of caution when promoting fiscal decentralization. This paper also underlines the role of data covering the general government and its subectors for comprehensive analysis of fiscal performance.
Download or read book On the Measurement and Impact of Fiscal Decentralization written by Robert D. Ebel and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2002 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Applying a Simple Measure of Good Governance to the Debate on Fiscal Decentralization written by Jeff Huther and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 1998 with total page 37 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: March 1998 Applying an index for the quality of governance reveals a surprisingly strong positive correlation between fiscal decentralization and quality of governance. Debates about the appropriate role, policies, and institutions of the state are often hampered by the lack of a definition for good government. To provide a quantifiable measure of good government, Huther and Shah develop an index for the quality of governance for a sample of 80 countries. They apply the index to the debate on the appropriate level of fiscal decentralization. In measuring the quality of governance, the authors develop indices for the government's ability to: * Ensure political transparency and a voice for all citizens (the citizen participation index measures political freedom and political stability). * Provide effective public services efficiently (the government orientation index measures judicial and bureaucratic efficiency and the absence of corruption). * Promote the health and well-being of its citizens (the social development index measures human development and equitable distribution of income). * Create a favorable climate for stable economic growth (the economic management index measures outward orientation, independence of the central bank, and an inverted debt-to-GDP ratio). In relating the index of governance quality to degree of fiscal decentralization for the 80 countries, Huther and Shah are not surprised to find a positive relationship between fiscal decentralization and quality of governance. But the strength of the correlation is surprising. This paper-a product of Country Evaluation and Regional Relations Division, Operations Evaluation Department-is part of a larger effort in the department to examine the role of the authorizing environment in public sector performance.
Download or read book Implementing Decentralized Local Governance written by Anwar Shah and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2004 with total page 45 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Fiscal Decentralization in Developing Countries written by Richard Miller Bird and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1998 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There appears to be an increasing trend in worldwide fiscal decentralization. In particular, many developing countries are turning to various forms of fiscal decentralization as an escape from inefficient and ineffective governance, macroeconomic stability, and inadequate growth. Fiscal Decentralization in Developing Countries: An Overview edited by Professors Bird and Vaillancourt and featuring important research from leading scholars assesses the progress, problems and potentials of fiscal decentralization in a variety of developing countries around the world. With rich and varied case-study material from countries as diverse as India, China, Colombia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and South Africa this volume complements neatly the collection Fiscal Aspects of Evolving Federations edited by David Wildasin and also published by Cambridge, which presented theoretical advances in the area of research.
Download or read book Fiscal Federalism and Political Decentralization written by Nuria Bosch and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2008-01-01 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This highly original book analyzes political decentralization and fiscal federalism in Canada and Germany, both traditional federal countries, and in Spain, a unitarian country engaged in the last two decades in a process of decentralization. The three key issues required for a well designed financing system are analyzed in depth herein, namely: tax assignment, equalization grants (i.e. redistribution of money from the wealthy regions or the national government to poorer regions) and the role of regional government in the administration of taxes. Fiscal Federalism and Political Decentralization will be of particular interest to academics and researchers of economics, public economics, public finance and public choice. It will also appeal to politicians and policy makers as well as organizations and agencies related to the economy and fiscal federalism.
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 and Fiscal Performance written by Anwar Shah and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2005 with total page 55 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fiscal rules binding on all levels can help sustain political commitment in countries having coalitions or fragmented regimes in power. Coordinating institutions help in the use of moral suasion to encourage a coordinated response. Industrial countries' experiences also show that unilaterally imposed federal controls and constraints on subnational governments typically do not work. Instead, societal norms based on fiscal conservatism such as the Swiss referenda and political activism of the electorate play important roles. Ultimately capital markets and bond-rating agencies provide more effective discipline on fiscal policy. In this context, it is important not to backstop state and local debt and not to allow ownership of the banks by any level of government. Transparency of the budgetary process and institutions, accountability to the electorate, and general availability of comparative data encourages fiscal discipline.
Download or read book Making Fiscal Decentralization Work written by Ms. Annalisa Fedelino and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2010-06-01 with total page 113 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The question of what makes fiscal decentralization work is faced by many policymakers around the world. This book draws on both the relevant literature and policy and technical advice provided by the IMF to a wide range of member countries, and discusses the key factors that help make decentralization sustainable, efficient, and equitable from a macroeconomic perspective. It focuses on institutional reforms (in the revenue and expenditure assignments to different levels of government, the design of intergovernmental transfers, and public financial management systems) that are suited to different countries' circumstances, and their appropriate sequencing.
Download or read book Decentralised Government in an Integrating World written by Dan Stegarescu and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2006-03-08 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book offers a comprehensive empirical analysis of the determinants of changes in the distribution of expenditure and revenue-raising powers among fiscal tiers in OECD countries. Using a new indicator of fiscal decentralisation which accounts for subnational decision-making autonomy, common decentralisation trends are investigated. Then, empirical evidence from panel analyses is provided for the role of costs, preferences and institutions in explaining fiscal federal structures, and for the impact of economic and political integration on the degree of government decentralisation, particularly among EU countries. Finally, the historical experience of Germany is used to explore long-term developments in the public sector.
Download or read book Rethinking Decentralization in Developing Countries written by Jennie Ilene Litvack and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 1998-01-01 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In an effort to reduce poverty and improve nutrition, this Bank operation assisted the Indian program Operation Flood to develop the dairy industry in India. This study examines the policy changes instituted to support the aid flow to the dairy sector and discusses the lessons learned and benefits realized through improved dairy production. It also presents suggestions for improvement. This program differs from other Bank efforts in that it focuses on a single commodity to alleviate poverty and raise living standards.
Download or read book Fiscal Decentralization and Fiscal Performance written by Anwar Shah and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A resurgence of recent interest in fiscal federalism has been a source of concern among macroeconomic stabilization experts. They argue that a decentralized fiscal system poses a threat to macroeconomic stability as it is incompatible with prudent monetary and fiscal management. The author addresses these concerns by taking a simple neo-institutional economics with an econometric analysis perspective. His analysis concludes that, contrary to a common misconception, fiscal decentralization is associated with improved fiscal performance and better functioning of internal common markets. Fiscal policy coordination represents an important challenge for federal systems. In this context, fiscal rules and institutions provide a useful framework but not necessarily a solution to this challenge. Fiscal rules binding on all levels can help sustain political commitment in countries having coalitions or fragmented regimes in power. Coordinating institutions help in the use of moral suasion to encourage a coordinated response. Industrial countries' experiences also show that unilaterally imposed federal controls and constraints on subnational governments typically do not work. Instead, societal norms based on fiscal conservatism such as the Swiss referenda and political activism of the electorate play important roles. Ultimately capital markets and bond-rating agencies provide more effective discipline on fiscal policy. In this context, it is important not to backstop state and local debt and not to allow ownership of the banks by any level of government. Transparency of the budgetary process and institutions, accountability to the electorate, and general availability of comparative data encourages fiscal discipline. Fiscal decentralization poses significant challenges for macroeconomic management. These challenges require careful design of monetary and fiscal institutions to overcome adverse incentives associated with the "common property" resource management problems or with rent seeking behavior. Experiences of federal countries indicate significant learning and adaptation of fiscal systems to create incentives compatible with fair play and to overcome incomplete contracts. This explains why that decentralized fiscal systems appear to do better than centralized fiscal systems on most aspects of monetary and fiscal policy management and transparent and accountable governance.
Download or read book Fiscal Decentralization written by Peter Friedrich and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
