Fiscal Decentralization Archives – Decentralization Net

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[ March 11, 2026 ] How can property taxes drive subnational development? Cities and urban development
[ March 3, 2026 ] An inflection point in South Africa’s local government reform? Africa
[ February 27, 2026 ] Rethinking the Future of Decentralization and Multilevel Governance Community
[ February 26, 2026 ] LPSA convenes in New York to shape its strategic direction Community
[ February 17, 2026 ] Reimagining democracy from the ground up Decentralization

How can property taxes drive subnational development?

March 11, 2026 Marina Jandrevska

Cities are the engines of economic growth. Yet subnational governments, particularly in lower-income countries, continue to face severe and persistent challenges in service delivery and infrastructure. Strengthening local governments is therefore vital for improving state-building […]

How India’s Sixteenth Finance Commission chose stability over disruption

February 8, 2026 LPS Alliance

The Finance Commission of India (FC) is one of India’s most credible institutions. It is a constitutional body whose function is to make recommendations to the Government of India on how to divide tax revenues […]

How intergovernmental fiscal transfers shape local democracy

January 19, 2026 LPS Alliance

Intergovernmental fiscal transfers are among the most powerful, and least visible, instruments in multilevel governance systems. They shape how resources flow across levels of government, determine the fiscal space available to local authorities, and influence […]

Multi-Level Governance in the Western Balkans

January 12, 2026 Marina Jandrevska

Multi-level governance (MLG) in the Western Balkans has made notable progress over the past decade, with administrations aligning institutional and legal frameworks to European principles and strengthening the role of local governments in democratic governance […]

Conditional grants and the hidden politics of fiscal decentralization

December 19, 2025 LPS Alliance

In discussions on fiscal decentralization, conditional grants are often treated as a technical detail rather than a central feature of multilevel governance. Much of the debate focuses on revenue assignments, own-source taxation, or unconditional transfers, […]

Financing green futures: Eco-fiscal tools in Canadian cities

September 14, 2025 Marina Jandrevska

As the impacts of climate change grow more severe, governments at all levels are facing a dual challenge: how to fund the transition to sustainable communities while managing increasing fiscal pressures. In this context, municipalities […]

Subnational governments, a key link for territorial development in Iberia and Latin America

September 12, 2025 LPS Alliance

“Subnational governments, a key link for territorial development.” This was a central theme of the Fourteenth Ibero-American Conference on Local Finance, held on September 3 and 4 in Asunción, Paraguay. The conference was supported by […]

Unlocking Zambia’s Property Tax Potential: A Path Toward Inclusive Reform

August 25, 2025 Marina Jandrevska

Effective property taxation is contingent on comprehensive property identification. In Zambia, as in many low- and middle-income countries, the first step toward fiscal inclusion is the systematic discovery and recording of properties, creating a fairer […]

Local Fiscal Transformation in East Africa

August 3, 2025 Jacqueline Muthura

Introduction Over the past decade, public financial management (PFM) reform has emerged as a cornerstone of fiscal modernization efforts across East Africa. From Kenya’s digital procurement platforms to Somalia’s adoption of international accounting standards, the […]

Fiscal decentralization and economic growth in African and OECD countries

July 28, 2025 LPS Alliance

It is no secret that there is a strong correlation between a country’s level of development and its degree of (fiscal) decentralization. After all, many OECD countries are quite highly devolved, whereas many non-OECD countries […]