This paper addresses the conceptual gap between the expected benefits of federalism in managing ethnicity-based conflict and its actual governance outcomes in the African context. One of the main reasons for this gap is the conflation of federalism with decentralization. In response, we develop...

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 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...