The paper provides an empirical analysis of the determinants of fiscal decentralization within Russian regions in 1994-2001. The conventional view that more decentralized governments are found in regions and countries with higher income, higher ethnolinguistic fractionalization, and higher...

April 1999 - Considering the positive impact decentralization has had on regional economic performance and expenditure structure, Russia's federal government should: ° Decisively protect local self-governance and budget autonomy. ° Make intergovernmental fiscal relations more transparent. °...

Peace in the South Caucasus will improve the region's economies in different ways. How much they will benefit depends on the strength of their supply response to demand in opening markets. The poor business environment and incomplete industrial restructuring act as constraints on export performance

Summary The paper argues that governments in regions that rely heavily on intergovernmental transfers and natural resource rents face serious distortions in their incentive structure. As a result, such regions tend to have more fiscally centralized governments than the regional characteristics...