Essays on Fiscal Decentralization, Institutions and Ethnic Conflict

Essays on Fiscal Decentralization, Institutions and Ethnic Conflict PDF Author: Jean-Pierre Tranchant
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 368

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Book Description

Essays on Fiscal Decentralization, Institutions and Ethnic Conflict

Essays on Fiscal Decentralization, Institutions and Ethnic Conflict PDF Author: Jean-Pierre Tranchant
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 368

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Book Description


Scarcity, Conflicts, and Cooperation

Scarcity, Conflicts, and Cooperation PDF Author: Pranab Bardhan
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262261814
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 324

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Book Description
This wide-ranging review of some of the major issues in development economics focuses on the role of economic and political institutions. Drawing on the latest findings in institutional economics and political economy, Pranab Bardhan, a leader in the field of development economics, offers a relatively nontechnical discussion of current thinking on these issues from the viewpoint of poor countries, synthesizing recent research and reflecting on where we stand today. The institutional framework of an economy defines and constrains the opportunities of individuals, determines the business climate, and shapes the incentives and organizations for collective action on the part of communities; Pranab Bardhan finds the institutional framework to be relatively weak in many poor countries. Institutional failures, weak accountability mechanisms, and missed opportunities for cooperative problem-solving become the themes of the book, with the role of distributive conflicts in the persistence of dysfunctional institutions as a common thread. Special issues taken up include the institutions for securing property rights and resolving coordination failures; the structural basis of power; commitment devices and political accountability; the complex relationship between democracy and poverty (with examples from India, where both have been durable); decentralization and devolution of power; persistence of corruption; ethnic conflicts; and impediments to collective action. Formal models are largely avoided, except in two chapters where Bardhan briefly introduces new models to elucidate currently under-researched areas. Other chapters review existing models, emphasizing the essential ideas rather than the formal details. Thus the book will be valuable not only for economists but also for social scientists and policymakers.

Essays on Conflict, Institutions, and Ethnic Diversity

Essays on Conflict, Institutions, and Ethnic Diversity PDF Author: Pelle Ahlerup
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Economic history
Languages : en
Pages : 204

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Decentralized Governance and Accountability

Decentralized Governance and Accountability PDF Author: Jonathan A. Rodden
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 110849790X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 313

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Book Description
Reviews recent lessons about decentralized governance and implications for future development programs and policies.

The Robust Federation

The Robust Federation PDF Author: Jenna Bednar
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139474448
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 245

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Book Description
The Robust Federation offers a comprehensive approach to the study of federalism. Jenna Bednar demonstrates how complementary institutions maintain and adjust the distribution of authority between national and state governments. These authority boundaries matter - for defense, economic growth, and adequate political representation - and must be defended from opportunistic transgression. From Montesquieu to Madison, the legacy of early institutional analysis focuses attention on the value of competition between institutions, such as the policy moderation produced through separated powers. Bednar offers a reciprocal theory: in an effective constitutional system, institutions complement one another; each makes the others more powerful. Diverse but complementary safeguards - including the courts, political parties, and the people - cover different transgressions, punish to different extents, and fail under different circumstances. The analysis moves beyond equilibrium conceptions and explains how the rules that allocate authority are not fixed but shift gradually. Bednar's rich theoretical characterization of complementary institutions provides the first holistic account of federal robustness.

Public Goods and Ethnic Divisions

Public Goods and Ethnic Divisions PDF Author: Alberto Alesina
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Ethnic groups
Languages : en
Pages : 64

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Book Description
We present a model that links heterogeneity of preferences across ethnic groups in a city to the amount and type of public good the city supplies. We test the implications of the model with three related datasets: US cities, US metropolitan areas, and US urban counties. Results show that productive public goods -- education, roads, libraries, sewers and trash pickup -- in US cities (metro areas/urban counties) are inversely related to the city's (metro area's/county's) ethnic fragmentation, even after controlling for other socioeconomic and demographic determinants. Ethnic fragmentation is negatively related to the share of local spending on welfare. The results are mainly driven by observations in which majority whites are reacting to varying sizes of minority groups. We conclude that ethnic conflict is an important determinant of local public finances.

Local Governance in Africa

Local Governance in Africa PDF Author: Dele Olowu
Publisher: Lynne Rienner Publishers
ISBN: 9781588261731
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 324

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Book Description
An exploration of why some decentralization reforms have led to viable systems of local governance in Africa, while others have failed. It outlines the key issues involved, provides historical context, and identifies the factors that have encouraged or discouraged success.

The Economic Impact of Conflicts and the Refugee Crisis in the Middle East and North Africa

The Economic Impact of Conflicts and the Refugee Crisis in the Middle East and North Africa PDF Author: Mr.Bjoern Rother
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1475535783
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 43

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Book Description
In recent decades, the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) has experienced more frequent and severe conflicts than in any other region of the world, exacting a devastating human toll. The region now faces unprecedented challenges, including the emergence of violent non-state actors, significant destruction, and a refugee crisis bigger than any since World War II. This paper raises awareness of the economic costs of conflicts on the countries directly involved and on their neighbors. It argues that appropriate macroeconomic policies can help mitigate the impact of conflicts in the short term, and that fostering higher and more inclusive growth can help address some of the root causes of conflicts over the long term. The paper also highlights the crucial role of external partners, including the IMF, in helping MENA countries tackle these challenges.

Decentralization and Intrastate Struggles

Decentralization and Intrastate Struggles PDF Author: Kristin M. Bakke
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1316300439
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 337

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Book Description
There is no one-size-fits-all decentralized fix to deeply divided and conflict-ridden states. One of the hotly debated policy prescriptions for states facing self-determination demands is some form of decentralized governance - including regional autonomy arrangements and federalism - which grants minority groups a degree of self-rule. Yet the track record of existing decentralized states suggests that these have widely divergent capacity to contain conflicts within their borders. Through in-depth case studies of Chechnya, Punjab and Québec, as well as a statistical cross-country analysis, this book argues that while policy, fiscal approach, and political decentralization can, indeed, be peace-preserving at times, the effects of these institutions are conditioned by traits of the societies they (are meant to) govern. Decentralization may help preserve peace in one country or in one region, but it may have just the opposite effect in a country or region with different ethnic and economic characteristics.

The Architecture of Government

The Architecture of Government PDF Author: Daniel Treisman
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139466496
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 295

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Book Description
Since the days of Montesquieu and Jefferson, political decentralization has been seen as a force for better government and economic performance. It is thought to bring government 'closer to the people', nurture civic virtue, protect liberty, exploit local information, stimulate policy innovation, and alleviate ethnic tensions. Inspired by such arguments, and generously funded by the major development agencies, countries across the globe have been racing to devolve power to local governments. This book re-examines the arguments that underlie the modern faith in decentralization. Using logical analysis and formal modeling, and appealing to numerous examples, it shows that most are based on vague intuitions or partial views that do not withstand scrutiny. A review of empirical studies of decentralization finds these as inconclusive and mutually contradictory as the theories they set out to test.