Governance indicators are now widely used as tools for conducting development dialogue, allocating external assistance, and influencing foreign direct investment. This paper argues that available governance indicators are not suitable for these purposes as they do not conceptualize governance...

This paper attempts to improve the understanding and measurement of decentralization and its relationship with corruption in a worldwide context. This is done by presenting the conceptual underpinnings of such relationship as well as using superior and more defensible measures of both...

This paper is intended to provide an assessment of the impact of the silent revolution of the last three decades on moving governments closer to people to establish fair, accountable, incorruptible and responsive governance. To accomplish this, a unique data set is constructed for 182 countries...

The objective of this paper is to examine the effect of tax incentives on investment in physical capital and in research and development, and indirectly on output and the demand for labor and materials. For this purpose the authors calculate the effect of tax incentives on the rental prices of...

The authors developed a simple two-period general equilibrium model to analyze the macroeconomic impact of tax policies in Pakistan. They analyze two scenarios. In scenario 1, the investment tax credit rate is increased from 15 percent to 30 percent. The new fiscal regime increases investment...

The authors examine the composition of public spending and its implications for economic growth. They use a translog production function by treating gross domestic product as the output and labor, private capital, and several types of public sector capital stocks as the inputs, using time series...

This paper presents an overview of the constitutional-legal provisions on access to services in developing countries and shows that rights to public services are not justice-able. It further documents the performance record to show that governments'response to such a weak accountability...

Fiscal equalization programs are fairly common features of intergovernmental fiscal relations in industrial countries. Some developing countries have also recently introduced these programs and still others are contemplating such programs. Institutional arrangements for fiscal equalization vary...

This paper examines the conceptual and empirical basis of corruption and governance and concludes that decentralized local governance is conducive to reduced corruption in the long run. This is because localization helps to break the monopoly of power at the national level by bringing...

Brazil is a three-tiered federation of 24 states, two federal territories, a federal district, and 4,300 municipalities. In 1989 less than half of all government spending was controlled by the federal government. Brazil's new constitution gave autonomous broad powers to states and municipalities...