Fiscal policy in Latin America has been guided primarily by short-term liquidity targets whose observance was taken as the main exponent of fiscal prudence, with attention focused almost exclusively on the levels of public debt and the cash deficit. Very little attention was paid to the effects of fiscal policy on growth and on macroeconomic volatility over the cycle. Important issues such as the composition of public expenditures (and its effects on growth), the ability of fiscal policy to stabilize cyclical fluctuations, and the currency composition of public debt were largely neglected. As a result, fiscal policy has often amplified cyclical volatility and dampened growth. 'Fiscal Policy, Stabilization, and Growth' explores the conduct of fiscal policy in Latin America and its consequences for macroeconomic stability and long-term growth. In particular, the book highlights the procyclical and anti-investment biases embedded in the region's fiscal policies, explores their causes and macroeconomic consequences, and asesses their possible solutions.

Monetary and fiscal Policy : Present successes and future problems, 3rd report of session 2003-04, Vol. 2: Evidence

This paper explores the impact of fiscal decentralization on fiscal policy performance in a large sample of advanced and developing economies. The findings suggest that a larger share of decentralized expenditure is associated with a stronger fiscal balance; however, fiscal decentralization can lead to more pro-cyclical fiscal policy. Thus, the design and pace of fiscal decentralization need to be tailored to the specificities of the economy. Countries that have already established strong accountablity and budget management capacity at the local level can benefit from fiscal decentralization. In contrast, in economies prone to large volatility from internal and external shocks, the central government may need to retain a sufficient share of expenditure and revenue to conduct counter-cyclical policies. Finally, the pace of expenditure and revenue decentralization should be aligned.

Originally published in 1960, with a second edition in 1969, this book is of special interest for having been the first systematic attempt to discuss problems of fiscal policy from the point of view of promoting economic growth in underdeveloped countries. It deals mainly with problems of tax policy, and outlines the economic principles by which the structure of taxation in developing economies can be constructed and evaluated. The work made a distinct contribution in the field of Development studies by reorienting the theory of fiscal policy originally developed in the economically advanced countries to the problems, requirements and institutional structure of an underdeveloped, over-populated country with a mixed enterprise system.

What happens to European Union (EU) fiscal policy coordination in hard times? Recent accounts of the EU have portrayed the union as plagued by an austerity regime and rampant moral hazard. Charlotte Rommerskirchen provides an alternative account of economic cooperation in Europe during the Great Recession and the European Debt Crisis. Drawing on Mancur Olson's theory of collective action, this volume combines evidence from statistical analysis and extensive interviews with key players. This book reaches an unexpected conclusion regarding the state of collective action in times of crises: Free riding was not rife. Despite heated accusations, member states crisis policies matched their fiscal room for manoeuvre. The real collective action failure is instead diagnosed in the inability to sanction free riders at the EU level and empowering erratic bond markets to discipline governments.

This book examines fiscal policy coordination in EMU and the required adjustments to national fiscal policies by EMU member states. The book shows that, in the process of Europeanization, national interests have had a major impact on the formation of fiscal policy coordination.

This book addresses the increasingly urgent question: How can governments be made more accountable for the quality of their environmental stewardship? It explores: Enhanced national State of the Environment reporting and integration of environmental outcomes in key national indicators. Mainstreaming environmental goals, targets, and risks by integrating them in fiscal policy and the annual budget—a government’s most important policy instrument. Promoting sustainability by progressively exposing and eliminating harmful tax and expenditure policies, putting a price on pollution, and providing environmental public goods. Civil society environmental monitoring. The book combines in-depth assessment of the latest climate/green budgeting literature and country practices with discussion of how to implement green fiscal policies. The framework is deliberately ambitious given the severity, scale, and urgency of climate change and biodiversity loss. The book will be of interest to ministry of finance, budget, and planning officials, to environment sector agencies, oversight institutions, international organizations, civil society organizations, and to academics and students in the fields of environmental studies, development studies, economics, public finance, and public policy.

This book examines key aspects of the measurement of fiscal policy making in the EU fiscal surveillance framework, highlighting strengths and weaknesses of current assessment practice. Based on the proceedings of a workshop organized by the European Commission’s Directorate-General Economic and Financial Affairs, the book’s contributions from leading experts will be of particular value to individuals and institutions involved in the fields of national and international economics and finance. Key Features: chapters are arranged within three main sections: Long-term sustainability; Measurement of the underlying budgetary position and discretionary fiscal policy; Reliability of fiscal indicators edited by Martin Larch and João Nogueira Martins expert contributors include António Afonso, Fabrizio Balassone, Fernando Ballabriga, Roy Barrell, Peter Brandner, Peter Claeys, Leopold Diebalek, Per Eckefeldt, Jonas Fischer, Daniele Franco, Jagadeesh Gokhale, Ian Hurst, Walpurga Köhler-Töglhofer, György Kopits, Martin Larch, Carlos Martinez-Mongay, James Mitchell, João Nogueira Martins, Jan in ’t Veld, Stefania Zotteri text amply supported by charts and tables. bibliography and Index

The sizeable increase in income inequality experienced in advanced economies and many parts of the world since the 1990s and the severe consequences of the global economic and financial crisis have brought distributional issues to the top of the policy agenda. The challenge for many governments is to address concerns over rising inequality while simultaneously promoting economic efficiency and more robust economic growth. The book delves into this discussion by analyzing fiscal policy and its link with inequality. Fiscal policy is the government’s most powerful tool for addressing inequality. It affects households ‘consumption directly (through taxes and transfers) and indirectly (via incentives for work and production and the provision of public goods and individual services such as education and health). An important message of the book is that growth and equity are not necessarily at odds; with the appropriate mix of policy instruments and careful policy design, countries can in many cases achieve better distributional outcomes and improve economic efficiency. Country studies (on the Netherlands, China, India, Republic of Congo, and Brazil) demonstrate the diversity of challenges across countries and their differing capacity to use fiscal policy for redistribution. The analysis presented in the book builds on and extends work done at the IMF, and also includes contributions from leading academics.