Suchergebnisse

Using capital cities in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Ethiopia, Germany, India, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, Switzerland, and the United States as case studies, contributors examine federal policies towards capital cities, with a particular emphasis on how capital cities are funded and governed, and the extent to which the federal government compensates them for their unique role.

Includes bibliographical references and index

Municipalities can play an important role in promoting sustainable development by pricing services correctly. How we pay for municipal services has an impact on our behaviour: how much water we consume, how much waste we generate, whether we drive to work or take transit, and other economic decisions. How we pay for services and infrastructure also affects the nature, location, and density of development. Correct pricing will improve the efficiency with which resources are used to provide the services that residents and businesses want. Moreover, if cities are interested in pursuing compact development, they need to consider the impact of other financial tools (such as property taxes and development charges) on how cities grow and develop.

SUMMARYMany countries are decentralizing in various ways. Decentralization is often intended at least partly to make government more efficient, flexible, and responsive. Many studies have evaluated the effects of decentralization on the provision of such services as health and education as well as on corruption, stability, and growth. Because what governments do and how well they do it is inseparably entangled with the question of how they are financed, this article outlines why and how a key element in a sound decentralization program should be to strengthen the linkage between local expenditures and local revenues—called here the Wicksellian Connection. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

In this paper we review several 'models' of governing structure found in metropolitan areas around the world from a fiscal perspective. We evaluate how different models achieve coordination of service delivery over the entire metropolitan area, the extent to which they allow for the equitable sharing of costs of services throughout the metropolitan area, and their ability to reduce negative or positive spillovers of service delivery across local boundaries. We then consider the advantages and disadvantages of different revenue-raising tools for metropolitan areas. We conclude by making a few suggestions with respect to metropolitan fiscal and governance developments in Latin America.

Examines federal policies towards capital cities, with an emphasis on how capital cities are funded and governed, and the extent to which the federal government compensates them for their unique role.