This paper explores in some aspects of the complex balancing act needed to achieve economically and politically sustainable tax systems in Latin America. By a “sustainable” tax system I mean one that is sufficiently congruent with prevailing economic and political factors in a country to...

The aim of this paper is to review from a fiscal perspective the different models of governing structure found in metropolitan areas around the world. While there is considerable dispute in the literature as to exactly how, and how much, the design of governing institutions matters in affecting...

Group Dynamics have been largely neglected when the impacts of microfinance on poverty reduction are assessed. This paper presents an analytical framework in which the study of group dynamics is central and new channels of impact effects on the individuals participating in microfinance schemes,...

As a response to many partial and over-simplistic theoretical and empirical studies, this paper presents a more comprehensive analytical framework for assessing the success of microfinance in achieving its dual objective of financial sustainability and poverty reduction. By giving centre stage...