Attaining the benefits of (especially fiscal) decentralization in government remains an enduring challenge, in part because, the re-arrangement of public functions across levels of government has often been carried out poorly.

This book aims at providing a firmer conceptual basis for the re-arrangement of public functions across levels of government. In doing so, it also offers practical advice for policy makers from developing and emerging countries and development cooperation practitioners engaged in such activity. Combining a theoretical approach for inter-governmental...