Decentralization is now taking place in the public administrations of most countries of the world. A critical determinant of the effective performance of local governments is finance their ability to both mobilize financial resources and to use those resources effectively and efficiently. This book explores the variety of methods used to ensure that fiscal decentralization takes place alongside administrative decentralization. It considers the range of revenue sources available, the design systems of intergovernmental transfers between central and local government, and the kinds of rules and...

"Municipal Infrastructure Financing" provides an overview of private sector involvement in the delivery of municipal services in selected Commonwealth developing countries. Four cities are examined in detail Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Kampala, Uganda; Dhaka, Bangladesh; and Karachi, Pakistan. The authors present innovative options for alternative sources of municipal infrastructure financing including attracting private sector participation based on the successful experience of other developing countries.The authors also identify the key challenges in municipal financing and any broad...

Estimates suggest that decentralization is currently being pursued in over 80% of developing countries worldwide. For many people, local government is the part of government that most directly impacts on their lives, particularly via the provision of local services like water, sanitation, primary education and primary healthcare.This resource guide provides practical guidance for designing, implementing and evaluating decentralization reforms and local government practices to ensure they are as effective as possible. It also synthesizes and presents current debates on the impact of...

Despite growing fiscal devolution, efficient and effective intergovernmental transfers - the transfer of money from central to lower levels of government - remain a vital sub-national government financing in developing countries.This research study examines different approaches to intergovernmental transfers (ICTs) in developing countries in the Commonwealth, and assesses their relative strengths and weaknesses. It includes detailed case studies of India and Kenya, lessons learned from IGT systems in Australia and the United Kingdom.