What's New

Measuring Fiscal Decentralisation: Concepts and Policies, published in February 2013

This new OECD book deals with the intricacies of measuring decentralization and possible consequences for policy reform. The book brings together a collection of constributions by major academics and policymakers which ask the same question: how should we measure the extent to which our countries are fiscally decentralized?  Chapters deal with issues such as the measurement of tax autonomy or taxing power; the specificities of tax sharing systems; the functioning of intergovernmental grant systems; and the measurement of true spending power when sub-central spending is influenced by central government.

Link to the book: Measuring Fiscal Decentralisation: Concepts and Policies

Fiscal Decentralisation database

In December 2012, the fiscal decentralisation database was updated with new data as follows covering years up to and including 2011:

B.   Revenue and spending shares of state and local government.

C.   Revenue structure of state and local government.

D.   Balances and debt of state of state and local government. This section includes, for the first time, data on debts of state and local government.