This timely and important volume addresses the serious challenges faced by democracy in contemporary society. With contributions from some of the world's most prestigious scholars of public choice and political science, this comprehensive collection presents a complete overview of the threats...

1. Public sector shock in Europe : between structural reforms and quantitative adjustment / Daniel Vaughan-Whitehead -- 2. Public sector adjustment and the threat to gender equality / Jill Rubery -- 3. Early application of fiscal austerity measures in the Baltic states / Jaan Masso and Kerly...

Struggles over what a region receives, or should receive, from the budget of the central government are common to many countries. Discussions often focus on the measures of 'net fiscal flows' or 'fiscal balances' provided by the government or other actors. This unique book shows just how these...

This book analyzes political decentralization and fiscal federalism in Canada and Germany, both traditional federal countries, and in Spain, a unitarian country engaged in the last two decades in a process of decentralization. Three key issues required for a well designed financing system are...