Fiscal Decentralization Archives – Decentralization Net

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[ July 21, 2026 ] Sustainable development becomes real when it becomes local Europe & Central Asia
[ July 11, 2026 ] Is there an economic payoff from creating new local governments? Evidence from Brazil Brazil
[ July 8, 2026 ] Property tax in Europe: a changing landscape Decentralization
[ July 6, 2026 ] Realizing the Jobs Potential of MENA’s Cities Cities and urban development
[ July 2, 2026 ] A new frontier for development cooperation: From localizing development to leveraging multilevel governance Community

Property tax in Europe: a changing landscape

July 8, 2026 LPS Alliance

Property taxation has long been one of the cornerstones of local public finance. Across Europe, however, property tax systems are undergoing profound change as governments seek to improve revenue performance, modernize valuation systems, strengthen local […]

Local governments, local taxes, and incentivizing economic growth

May 15, 2026 LPS Alliance

For decades, debates on economic growth have largely focused on national policies: monetary policy, trade policy, industrial policy, labor markets, or macroeconomic stability. Yet, economic activity does not occur in an institutional vacuum: businesses operate […]

India’s fiscal equalization system: balancing equity and efficiency

April 24, 2026 LPS Alliance

Few countries embody the promise—and complexity—of multilevel governance as vividly as India. With a federal structure spanning more than 1.5 billion people, India’s intergovernmental fiscal system sits at the heart of its development trajectory. A […]

Decentralized responsibilities without decentralized resources?

April 10, 2026 Marina Jandrevska

The role of local governments in European public service delivery has expanded significantly over the past two decades. Across the European Union, municipalities have become central actors in the provision of education, healthcare, social protection, […]

Expanding property taxation in customary areas in Africa

April 10, 2026 Marina Jandrevska

Property taxation is widely recognized as a cornerstone of subnational finance and a key enabler of effective decentralization worldwide. It has recently gained increased attention across African countries. Yet, it remains one of the most […]

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, […]