Includes index.

Contents: Preface -- Part I Frameworks for central-local government relations -- 1. Frameworks for central-local government relations and fiscal sustainability / Peter J. Morgan and Long Q. Trinh -- 2. Looking beyond conventional intergovernmental fiscal frameworks: principles, realities, and neglected issues / Paul Smoke -- Part II Mechanisms for Promoting Fiscal Sustainability at the Local Government Level -- 3. Federalism, fiscal space, and public investment spending: do fiscal rules impose hard budget constraints? / Pinaki Chakraborty -- 4. Fiscal equalization schemes and subcentral government borrowing / Salvador Barrios and Diego Mart�inez-L�opez -- 5. How well do subnational borrowing regulations work? / Jorge Martinez-Vazquez and Violeta Vulovic -- Part III Country studies of central-local government relations -- 6. The fiscal risk of local government revenue in the People's Republic of China / Ziying Fan and Guanghua Wan -- 7. Key issues of central and local government finance in the People's Republic of China / Qichun Zhang and Shufang Li -- 8. Government decentralization program in Indonesia / Anwar Nasution -- 9. Case study of central and local government finance in Japan / Shun-ichiro Bessho -- 10. Fiscal decentralization and local budget deficits in Viet Nam: an empirical analysis / Peter J. Morgan and Long Q. Trinh -- Part IV Behavioral implications of central-local government relations -- 11. Debt dynamics, fiscal deficit, and stability in government borrowing in India: a dynamic panel analysis / Panchanan Das -- 12. Forms of government decentralization and institutional quality: evidence from a large sample of nations / Rajeev K. Goel and James W. Saunoris -- Index.

Sustainable and inclusive growth in emerging Asian economies requires high levels of public investment in areas such as infrastructure, education, health, and social services. The increasing complexity and regional diversity of these investment needs, together with the trend of democratization, has led to fiscal decentralization being implemented in many Asian economies. This book takes stock of some major issues regarding fiscal decentralization, including expenditure and revenue assignments, transfer programs, and the sustainability of local government finances, and develops important findings and policy recommendations. The book's expert contributors assess the current state of the allocation of expenditures and revenues between central and local governments in emerging Asian economies, and discuss their major strengths and weaknesses. They also present relevant case studies of experiences and reform measures related to strengthening and monitoring local government finance, including the implications of expanded fiscal capacity for infrastructure investment and other public spending. Covering the major Asian economies of the People's Republic of China, India, Indonesia, and Japan, among others, the book focuses on the economic incentives of transfer schemes, how intergovernmental fiscal equalization works, and how subnational government borrowing regulations could influence debt dynamics and the fiscal deficits of local governments. This book's insightful analysis will be essential reading for policy makers in Asian economies and academics and researchers in the areas of economic development, public finance, and fiscal policy as well as development aid officials, multilateral banks, and NGOs.

Description based on print record.