Canada Archives – Decentralization Net

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 […]

Intergovernmental fiscal transfers and fiscal equalization in a time of consolidation

July 25, 2025 LPS Alliance

During periods of fiscal consolidation, governments must balance tighter budgets with equitable service delivery. This balance is a particular challenge in devolved countries, where central fiscal authorities might be inclined prioritize macroeconomic balance and fiscal […]

Municipal Finance in Canada: Reflections and Thoughts for the Future

February 3, 2025 Limabenla Jamir

“Budget bailout needed once again” could be a headline in a Toronto newspaper today. It is actually from the Toronto Star, December 8, 2004, around the time IMFG was founded. The story notes that Toronto’s budget […]

How does intergovernmental coordination strengthen local governance?

December 4, 2024 Marina Jandrevska

The crux of decentralization is that a multilevel public sector can produce better (more responsive and efficient) outcomes compared to a centralized public sector. An underlying–often unstated– assumption is that intergovernmental coordination mechanisms are in […]

The Forum of Federations Handbook of Fiscal Federalism

August 20, 2023 Marina Jandrevska

Fiscal federalism is a critical area of study as it underpins almost all other facets of subnational governance. The overriding issue in fiscal federalism is referred to as the assignment problem, that is, the assignment […]

Climate Governance and Federalism

May 28, 2023 LPS Alliance

Climate change poses one of the greatest challenges of our time, demanding urgent action and global cooperation. As nations grapple with the complexities of climate governance, the role of federal systems becomes a topic of […]

Local Government and the Changing Urban-Rural Interplay

March 29, 2023 LPS Alliance

What is the impact of increasing population movements from the countryside to cities and towns on the provision of local public services? How can urban and rural local governments cope? How do they finance these […]

Options for a Reform of the Mexican Intergovernmental Transfer System

October 4, 2022 LPSAManager

A recent study by Teresa Ter-Minassian and Andrés Muñoz Miranda published by the Inter-American Development Bank aims at providing an overview of international experiences with the design and reform of intergovernmental transfers, especially in large […]

Water federalism in Canada: working across government levels to support essential water infrastructure

July 20, 2021 LPS Initiative

The governments of Canada and Quebec are taking decisive action to meet the essential water infrastructure needs of local communities by working together across different government levels. The federal government, provincial government and municipal government […]