Decentralization, Local Governments and Markets

A book aiming to set the pace and agenda for debate on decentralization of fiscal powers and privatization of public services. It brings together major new contributions from a variety of countries by some of the most eminent experts in the field of fiscal relations between federal-state-local government and between central-local government. They explore the major shift which has taken place in theory and practice in inter-governmental relations. The book covers a confrontation of existing orthodoxy, with major new accounts of decentralization. It includes an in-depth analysis of tax decentralization, an exploration of traditional wisdom on dencentralizing responsibilities, including privatization, an explanation of how government taxes and expenditure relate to regional growth and income distribution, and a setting out of recent innovation in decentralization practice. Academics and practitioners in regional economics, political science, economic geography planning, public administration, and public finance will be interested in this book.