OECD Fiscal Federalism Studies Local Public Finance and Capacity Building in Asia Issues and Challenges


Book Description

Subnational governments’ capacity to effectively fund and deliver public services are crucial for the realisation of the benefits of decentralisation. However, subnational capacities often suffer from significant weaknesses, ranging from inadequate assignments of own-revenues, through to flaws in tax administration, the design of intergovernmental transfers, spending assignments and various aspects of public financial management.




Local Public Finance and Capacity Building in Asia


Book Description

Subnational governments' capacity to effectively fund and deliver public services are crucial for the realisation of the benefits of decentralisation. However, subnational capacities often suffer from significant weaknesses, ranging from inadequate assignments of own-revenues, through to flaws in tax administration, the design of intergovernmental transfers, spending assignments and various aspects of public financial management. The volume discusses how better diagnostics and more strategic reforms can contribute to easing the resource constraints on subnational governments, as well as creating appropriate incentives for these governments to improve performance. The volume includes studies of the enabling conditions for subnational capacity building in Asia, as well as focused studies of China and India's fiscal relations challenges.




OECD Fiscal Federalism Studies Local Public Finance and Capacity Building in Asia Issues and Challenges


Book Description

Subnational governments' capacity to effectively fund and deliver public services are crucial for the realisation of the benefits of decentralisation. However, subnational capacities often suffer from significant weaknesses, ranging from inadequate assignments of own-revenues, through to flaws in tax administration, the design of intergovernmental transfers, spending assignments and various aspects of public financial management. The volume discusses how better diagnostics and more strategic reforms can contribute to easing the resource constraints on subnational governments, as well as creating appropriate incentives for these governments to improve performance. The volume includes studies of the enabling conditions for subnational capacity building in Asia, as well as focused studies of China and India's fiscal relations challenges.




Local Public Finance Management in the People's Republic of China


Book Description

The People's Republic of China is a highly decentralized unitary state with local governments having a dominant share of public service delivery responsibility. Local governance is critically linked to a local public finance system that creates incentives and accountability mechanisms. To ensure the policy response, this project focused on the three interrelated areas in local public finance management, i.e., local budgeting, local debt management and local taxation, and produced policy options in the short, medium and long terms. The overall purpose of the reforms is to improve local accountability and transparency, strengthen local fiscal capacity, and institutionalize formal frameworks for local public debt management.




Central and Local Government Relations in Asia


Book Description

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.










Gearing Up for Competitiveness


Book Description

This book focuses on local government’s role in increasing city competitiveness through planning, governance, and finance, particularly in small to medium-sized cities in South Asia. Existing studies on city competitiveness tend to focus on megacities, and yet smaller cities house an increasingly large portion of South Asia’s population. This study seeks to initiate a more systematic thinking on the role of planning, governance, and finance to overcome the challenges of urbanization, improve the investment climate, and provide greater opportunities for more people, especially in small to medium-sized cities.







Money Matters


Book Description

The Third Plenum of the 18 th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in November reinforced the importance of public finance reform. Drawing on recent technical assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), special reports, and the work of ADB staff, the publication offers observation and suggestion on how to pursue public finance reform. The publication also outlines practical actions that can be taken to improve budgeting, taxation, and the system of fiscal decentralization in the People's Republic of China. Special attention is given to the management of local government debt, the most pressing fiscal issue facing the People's Republic of China. The potential contribution of public-private partnerships is also introduced.