Recent socio-spatial studies point out a number of ongoing trends in the "scale division of labor of the state," including among others, "destatization," "denationalization, and "internationalization." We draw on the literature in public economics to review several approaches to measuring state rescaling.We employ these measures to produce empirical evidence on the extent of state rescaling and its determinants. We find that over the last two decades there has been a world trend towards decentralization while the average government size has not changed.

Reforming Regional and Local Finance in Russia assesses the current state of Russia's regional and local fiscal relations and self-government, and analyzes the related reforms undertaken over the past decade. The analysis is based on the kind of first-hand experience and in-depth knowledge of Russian intergovernmental reforms that only a handful of Western scholars possess. This book complements the earlier WBI title Russia's Transition to a New Federalism (2001), reflecting the shift in Russia's policy reform agenda from an emphasis on federal and regional relations to the regional and local levels.The study uses a framework that integrates all the building blocks of federalism: size and structure of jurisdictions, expenditures, revenues, transfers, and borrowing. It offers reform options based on international practices and normative principles, while also identifying some dangers that may arise in implementing the next round of proposed intergovernmental reforms in Russia. The book will be of particular interest to policymakers, researchers, and teachers.Reforming Regional and Local Finance in Russia was prepared as part of the World Bank Institute's program to train central and local government officials to carry out intergovernmental reforms, and to build a core group of local trainers who can deliver future programs independently. I am pleased to make this volume available to all who are engaged or interested in intergovernmental reforms in Russia as well as in Central Asia and the Caucasus.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract