"Political economy explanations for fiscal profligacy are dominated by models of bargaining among organized interest groups over group-specific targeted benefits financed by generalized taxation. These models predict that governments consisting of a coalition of political parties spend more than...

"A resurgence of recent interest in fiscal federalism has been a source of concern among macroeconomic stabilization experts. They argue that a decentralized fiscal system poses a threat to macroeconomic stability as it is incompatible with prudent monetary and fiscal management. The author...

The report titled ‘contingent liabilities: the Colombian experience,’ is the first publication on the management of contingent liabilities in Colombia. Published by the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (MHCP), the report highlights technical and normative efforts and policy reforms on...

The year 2000 was a turning point in Croatian history, marked by closing the chapter of the war and the first phase of transition. With that, the country turned its attention to the "second transition,"the principle goal of which is to place Croatia on a path to the European Union (EU). While...

The year 2000 was a turning point in Croatian history, marked by closing the chapter of the war and the first phase of transition. With that, the country turned its attention to the "second transition,"the principle goal of which is to place Croatia on a path to the European Union (EU). While...

Over the past twenty years, fiscal policy has become one of the three pillars of macroeconomic stability for Colombia, the other two being the flexible exchange rate and inflation targeting. The credibility and sustainability of fiscal policy is the result of strong institutions (in particular,...

Mexico's intergovernmental transfer system needs to reduce vertical imbalances and discretionary federal transfers. This note assesses Mexico's pending subnational fiscal reform agenda. Mexico is a federal country divided into 31 sovereign states and one federal district. Each state is composed...

This public expenditure review is prepared by the World Bank, in close collaboration with the government of Burundi. This document highlights the significant progress made by Burundi in the recent past. The most notable recent achievement has been the improvement of indicators in the sectors of...

Despite bold efforts to consolidate public finances, Ukraine's growth potential remains undermined by a large public sector, high public debt levels and inefficient provision of critical public services. The Ukraine government faces new public spending pressures which, if realized, would reverse...