We study whether the spatial distribution of natural resources across different ethnic groups within countries impede spatial inequality, national economic performance, and the incidence of armed conflict. By providing a theoretical rent-seeking model and analysing a set of geocoded data for...

This paper examines whether the federal structure of aid-receiving countries matters in explaining aid effectiveness. Following the decentralization theorem, the devolution of powers should increase aid effectiveness, since local decision-makers are better informed about local needs. At the same...

Contents: Preface -- Part I Why decentralization matters -- 1. Fiscal decentralization 101 -- 2. Has decentralization worked? -- Part II Decentralizing expenditures -- 3. Expenditure assignment and management -- 4. Decentralizing and financing infrastructure -- Part III Financing local...

Taxation and Development highlights the importance of better understanding the ways in which taxes and expenditure are linked. Focusing on developing countries, the book argues for a broader approach to the topic, with a secondary focus on developing and applying new modeling techniques to...