This study examines the degree of accountability and transparency of local level finance in three unions (Khadim Nagor Union, Khandigaon Union and Tuker Bazar Union) of Sylhet Sadar Upazila. It is based on interviews and focus group discussions with general people and government representatives,...

In this chapter I discuss the history and basic incentive effects of two key U.S. cash assistance programs aimed at families with children. Starting roughly in the 1980s, critics of the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program argued that the program -- designed largely to cut...

New Jersey has a deep pension-funding crisis. It has made excessively generous pension promises without funding them; simultaneously, it has run up some of the highest debts, lowest credit ratings, highest tax rates, lowest citizen satisfaction rates, and highest out-migration rates of any...

China is the most decentralized country in the world in terms of expenditures shares, with subnational governments responsible for 85 percent of government spending. Limited revenue autonomy and insufficient intergovernmental transfers have led to large unfunded mandates and a build-up of debt...

California faces a significant pension-funding crisis. It has increased government-worker pensionbenefits repeatedly since the 1980s. Meanwhile, a California Supreme Court doctrine—theCalifornia Rule—has been understood to forbid cutting benefits for any currently employedgovernment workers,...

We construct a novel data set on the fiscal position of municipalities in the United States and document a secular decline in their financial health. Our data combines financial data from the Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports (ACFRs) of municipalities along with Census data of their revenue...

In recent years, numerous U.S. cities have enacted taxes on sweetened beverages, but there is relatively little evidence about the effects of these taxes on purchases and consumption. In this paper, we examine the effects of the beverage tax of 1.5 cents per ounce that was implemented in...

States are financing a larger share of capital investment by school districts but little is known about district response to facility aid programs. This paper addresses this gap by examining how a short-term increase in the matching rate for the Building Aid program in New York affected district...

In the present paper it will be pointed out empirically that R&D could be a way to reduce government debt (as % of GDP) and unemployment rate. Consumption should not be reduced. Panel data are elaborated by the Eviews software package

Though a few states have permitted school districts to adopt an income tax, most have statutory requirements for the use of funds or otherwise limit the eligibility of the school districts to a subset of circumstances. Ohio, by contrast, has permitted schools to adopt a residency based income...