"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...

In Western democracies, systems of checks and balances built into government structures have formed the core of good governance, and have helped empower citizens for more than two hundred years. Many developing countries, however, continue to suffer from unsatisfactory and often dysfunctional...