Good governance is the foundation for economic growth and stability in developing countries. A responsive and efficient government should protect its citizens and deliver such basic services as water, schools, and health care. It should also engage citizens in government.
Urban Institute experts have provided research and technical assistance on local governance in more than 70 countries around the world. The core of our work is in improving delivery and financing of public services, strengthening public management and performance measurement, encouraging civic engagement, combating corruption through accountability and increased transparency, and enhancing local governments' role in economic development.
This study analyzes the funding of local governments in Macedonia today, and whether the current intergovernmental fiscal system provides adequate funding to the local government level. The study relies on a new local government finance database to present a picture of how local government finances have evolved over the last three years, and provides a concrete proposal for initial reforms that would improve the adequacy, efficiency, and equity of intergovernmental financial relations in Macedonia.
The principal objectives and scope of the current study are to examine how eco-infrastructure can be sustained within a multiuse area of a municipality in a transition economy in a way that protects habitat, ensures public access, and is adequately funded and managed. The case of Ulcinj, Montenegro, is presented for this purpose. The methodology employed reviews the available literature and best practices to identify possible models, and then considers them in the context of Ulcinj for their relevance and feasibility. The comparative analysis identifies six examples of nature preserves that successfully protect habitat, ensure public access, and operate sustainably with adequate funding and management. The examples are taken from California, Croatia, Chile, Bolivia, Costa Rica, and Guatemala.
This report summarizes findings from the USAID-sponsored project on models of financing for slum upgrading in India, undertaken on behalf of SPARC, a prominent NGO involved in slum upgrading in India and internationally for over two decades, and the National Housing Bank of India (NHB), one of whose main goals is enhancing housing finance for low-income households. In preparing the recommendations, the Urban Institute and SDS India have worked together with USAID and an Advisory Group formed for this project. In addition to SPARC and NHB, the Advisory Group includes banks, housing finance companies (HFCs), foundations, microfinance institutions (MFIs), builders, and Indian research institutions addressing shelter and microfinance.
Decentralization and intergovernmental finance have been a common element in international development efforts for many years. However, the success of fiscal decentralization as a development strategy is decidedly unclear, and there is growing skepticism about the
effectiveness of (fiscal) decentralization as an international development strategy. This short
essay explores the current state of knowledge with respect to fiscal decentralization and assesses the relevance of fiscal decentralization to the wider international development agenda, using the fiscal aspects of decentralization as an entry-point into the broader discussion of decentralization.
UN-HABITAT has calculated that one-sixth of humanity—1 billion people—currently live in slums. In the next 30 years, this figure could rise to over 31 percent of the world's population. The vast majority of these households will never be able to afford, nor have access to, formal mortgage finance. Thus, increasing the availability of microfinance for housing (MFH) to help provide adequate shelter and sanitation will become increasingly important.
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