This book analyzes the reasons for lackluster performance selected Latin American countries in mobilizing subnational own-source revenues and explores policy options to increase these revenues as efficiently and equitably as possible. Seven case studies--Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia,...

A rules-based fiscal framework, such as the EU’s Stability and Growth Pact (SGP), can be an important bulwark against short-sighted policies. Although policies have improved following the SGP’s adoption, shortcomings remain. These, however, are rooted in the policies rather than the rules,...

This paper presents a simple semiannual model of world merchandise trade disaggregated by commodity class and by country or country grouping. It is designed principally to estimate the responsiveness of merchandise trade to variations in income and activity levels in the industrial countries....

This paper aims to present some first approximations as to the effects of past exchange rate changes on the foreign trade of France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The essential feature of the methodology is the attempt to eliminate from the foreign trade data of these...

Latin America has a long history of pro-cyclical fiscal policies, reflecting the region’s exposure to a range of exogenous shocks, tight financial constraints and relatively weak fiscal institutions. This paper discusses the role that structural balance-based fiscal rules (SFRs) could play in...

Decentralisation and Reform in Latin America analyses the process of intergovernmental reform in Latin America in the last two decades and presents a number of emerging issues. These include the impacts of decentralization and the response of countries in the region to challenge such as social...

This paper aims to provide an overview of the current state of taxation in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region, and its main reform needs and options. It previews the findings of recent studies prepared or commissioned by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for its forthcoming...

Experience indicates that fiscal rules can be helpful as a disciplinary device at the central government level. This article explores whether fiscal rules could be usefully adopted in a decentralised framework, where the behaviour of subnational governments may undermine fiscal discipline.

A common dilemma facing governments around the world is how to meet the sizeable fiscal costs of providing and maintaining infrastructure networks. Over the past decade, developed and developing countries have looked to fiscal rules, budgetary reforms, tax policy and administration measures,...

The literature on fiscal federalism has amply discussed both the potential efficiency and welfare gains from decentralization and the potential trade-offs between decentralization and income redistribution. By contrast, it has generally put less emphasis on the effects of decentralization on...