This paper examines the concept of decentralised autonomous organisations (DAOs), blockchain-based entities intended to operate without central authority or management hierarchy, through the lens of organisational economics. It compares DAOs with conventional organisational forms and explores...

We present an experimental study of decentralized two‐sided matching markets with no transfers. Experimental participants are informed of everyone's preferences and can make arbitrary nonbinding match offers that get finalized when a period of market inactivity has elapsed. Several insights...

This paper examines the evolving landscape of digital privacy, decentralization and digital assets in the twenty-first century. It explores the transformative impact of those technologies - driven by the exponential growth of semiconductors - in the past decades on the widespread adoption of...

Decentralization is a process that allows local governments to play a more active role in decision-making and the management of public policies. This process involves transferring responsibilities, resources, and authority from central to local governments, bringing the decisions and provision...

This editorial introduces the Special Issue on Emerging Digital Platforms and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). The collected articles explore how disintermediation through blockchain technology is redefining value creation, ownership models, financial stability, and decentralized governance. Key...

What instruments can governments deploy to prevent fiscal crises in decentralized fiscal systems? This analysis reveals that good public sector institutions, controls by the central government over local fiscal balances and borrowing, and intergovernmental transfers could be effective...

Peru's mining wealth holds the promise to substantially accelerate potential growth. However, many mining projects have been stalled for several years due to conflicts with local communities that feel excluded from the benefits. Although local governments receive nearly 2 percent of GDP in...

The study examined the effect of fiscal decentralization on healthcare availability outcomes from 23 Kenyan counties during the 2013-2022 devolution period. The results from different robust non-endogeneity econometric methods indicate a significant deleterious effect of fiscal decentralization...

This study investigates the dynamics of healthcare mobility in Italy, where citizens have the freedom to access medical treatment across regions. More than half a million patients, primarily from the Southern regions, engage in healthcare mobility, resulting in a total inter-regional transfer of...

In recent decades, decentralization reforms have surged across the Global South, aiming to bring governance closer to citizens. Despite extensive debate on their effectiveness, systematic methods to assess local government performance remain underexplored, particularly in data-constrained...

This paper examines the fiscal and extra-fiscal effects of decentralizing the collection of Brazil's rural land tax from the federal level to local governments. Using a difference-in-differences research design, we assess the impact of local tax enforcement on revenue, land use, and...

The Localization Law (RA 8190) aims to improve educational equity by emphasizing the recruitment of teachers from local communities, promoting cultural congruence, and reducing relocation expenses. Although RA 8190 has been in effect since 1996, challenges on filling up teacher vacancies are...

This paper investigates the causal effects of central-to-local government transfers on local economic activity in Ecuador, utilizing exogenous variation from a reform in the intergovernmental transfer formula implemented in 2018. Addressing gaps in the fiscal decentralization literature, this...

In response to the challenges posed by an increasingly decentralized energy system characterized by a high penetration of renewable energy sources, grid operators are experiencing heightened pressure to effectively manage grid congestion. Concurrently, both the European Union as well as the...

Health care systems rely on geographical boundaries that secure financial stability and adequate planning. Quality differences across regions often arise for efficiency reasons, causing patient flows if mobility is free. In this paper, a theoretical spatial competition model is developed to...

Governments in low-income countries are increasingly integrating off-grid electricity provision into national electrification strategies, creating novel, decentralized markets for electricity. This paper studies a highly decentralized product that plays an important role in energy access: pay as...

The Universal Health Care (UHC) Act of 2019 introduces comprehensive reforms to address longstanding demand and supply constraints in the Philippine health system. Key reform areas include shifting provider payment mechanisms of PhilHealth to a global budget and expanding primary healthcare...