The Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) assessed the effectiveness of Bank support for decentralization between fiscal 1990 and 2007 in 20 countries, seeking to inform the design and implementation of future support. Given the difficulties of measuring the results of decentralization, the...

This paper aims to develop a detailed analysis of quasi-fiscal deficits and subsidies, and their impact on Armenia's fiscal performance in the second part of the 1990s. Based on the flow-of-funds approach, we estimate the magnitude of the quasi-fiscal deficits and the incidence of quasi-fiscal...

In the preface to this report, it is asserted that, "history hovers... over any discussion of fiscal federalism in Russia." This report not only reviews that history, but also follows it to the present situation with respect to the difficult policy choices facing the new Putin-led government,...

This book contributes to the empirical and theoretical analysis of the performance of cities in a globalizing world, bringing together a range of perspectives on the policy implications for urban management. It provides guidance for policymakers on ways of capitalizing on the global economy that...

This paper takes stock of Madagascar's first 10 years of decentralization. As it happened in many other developing countries, particularly in Africa, Madagascar's decentralization process has seen reversals, uncertainties and lack of clarity all along. This explains why Madagascar, despite the...

On October 18, 1999, albania passed the Law for Securing Charges, which in many of its concepts and features has no precedent in prior Albanian law. This is a complex law, for it bears on the rights annd conduct of creditors, debtors, and a range of other persons who can be affected by securing...

This Country Framework Report for the Philippines is one of the first in a series of country reviews aimed at improving the environment for private sector involvement in infrastructure. Prepared at the request of the Philippine Government, the report has three main objectives: 1) To describe and...

This report reviews loan classification and provisioning practices in a broad sample of countries that differ in size, location and level of financial development. The survey conducted for the report compares the regulatory approaches adopted by industrial and emerging economies, and is intended...