Read Now Fiscal Decentralization and Land Policies (Land Policy Series Book 2) Kindle
The study of fiscal decentralization has important policy implications for urban growth management, environmental conservation, and property taxation. First, fiscal decentralization gives local governments powers to set local taxes and make local expenditures. Second, in many countries local governments also have powers to regulate land uses within the general guidelines set by higher authorities. These two powers interact so that municipalities often make land use decisions while considering their fiscal effects. Hence, an understanding of the degree to which local and provincial governments can exercise power, make decisions about their revenues and expenditures, and are held accountable for outcomes is crucial for land policy research and education.In June 2007 Gregory K. Ingram and Yu-Hung Hong of the Lincoln Institute organized the second in a series of cross-disciplinary land policy conferences to address international land policy trends and issues. The goals of this conference were to review decentralization experiences in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries and developing nations and to explore areas of consensus and disagreement among scholars and analysts on the opportunities and risks of decentralization. Three key themes emerged from the conference and are presented in Fiscal Decentralization and Land Policies. The second focuses on the connections between decentralization and local policies, appraising how decentralization is related to jurisdiction size, public school finance, local environmental policy, and urban economic development strategy. The third theme addresses the effects of intergovernmental transfers on other issues such as local fiscal prudence and the association between decentralization and income distribution.
