There is a general consensus on the effects of bureaucratic structures on task implementation and performance. Nonetheless, there has been very little research in the field of local public finance regulation. This article analyses the question of organisational structure in the field of local...

European countries employ heterogeneous and complex systems to regulate local government budgets. Although the topic has become increasingly relevant in the face of past and future economic and budgetary crises, there is a lack of cross-country studies in this field, due in part to the...

Fiscal decentralisation introduces the risk that subnational governments may act in a fiscally irresponsible manner in the belief that a higher tier of government will bail them out if they run into trouble. The economic literature, therefore, prescribes a strict no-bailout policy. We survey...

In many countries around the world, local governments have considerable fiscal autonomy. They are able not only to raise revenues or spend money on their own but also to incur debt. However, the right to borrow inevitably implies the risk of insolvency and bankruptcy, which can have tremendous...