Fiscal decentralization and land policies : [proceedings of the 2007 Land Policies Conference

The study of fiscal decentralization has important policy implications for urban growth management, environmental conservation, and property taxation. First, fiscal decentralization gives local governments powers to set local taxes and make local expenditures. Second, in many countries local governments also have powers to regulate land uses within the general guidelines set by higher authorities. These two powers interact so that municipalities often make land use decisions while considering their fiscal effects. Hence, an understanding of the degree to which local and provincial governments can exercise power, make decisions about their revenues and expenditures, and are held accountable for outcomes is crucial for land policy research and education. In June 2007 Gregory K. Ingram and Yu-Hung Hong of the Lincoln Institute organized the second in a series of cross-disciplinary land policy conferences to address international land policy trends and issues. The goals of this conference were to review decentralization experiences in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries and developing nations and to explore areas of consensus and disagreement among scholars and analysts on the opportunities and risks of decentralization. The study of fiscal decentralization has important policy implications for urban growth management, environmental conservation, and property taxation. Fiscal decentralization gives local governments powers to set local taxes and make local expenditures. In many countries local governments also have powers to regulate land uses within the general guidelines set by higher authorities. An understanding of the degree to which local and provincial governments can exercise these powers, make decisions about their revenues and expenditures, and are held accountable for outcomes is crucial for land policy research and education. Three key themes emerged from a Lincoln Institute conference in June 2007: the extent and effectiveness of local service provision under decentralization; the connections between decentralization and local policies; and the effects of intergovernmental transfers on local fiscal behavior.