This book tells a fascinating story on municipal finances for local government practitioners with rich examples, global practices, and good and bad experiences the authors gained in decades of field work.

A comprehensive issue-by-issue and country-by-country study of housing markets and housing finance markets in Central and Eastern Europe.

A comparative analysis of the process of public sector transition from central planning to market democracy. It is the story of the difficulties and complexities of moving to a system of greater autonomy for the subnational governments of the Czech and Slovak Republics, including the future of fiscal policies after the global recession.

The "European Yearbook" promotes the scientific study of nineteen European supranational organisations and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Each volume contains a detailed survey of the history, structure and yearly activities of each organisation and an up-to-date chart providing a clear overview of the member states of each organisation. In addition, a number of articles on topics of general interest are included in each volume. A general index by subject and name, and a cumulative index of all the articles which have appeared in the "Yearbook," are included in every volume and provide direct access to the "Yearbook"'s subject matter. Each volume contains a comprehensive bibliography covering the year's relevant publications. This is an indispensable work of reference for anyone dealing with the European institutions.

Desde Detroit hasta Lahore, la mayoría de las ciudades del mundo enfrentan problemas financieros, y aun así se espera que lleven a cabo sus funciones cada vez más complejas. Finanzas municipales - Manual para los gobiernos locales toma partido. Se pone del lado de los alcaldes y de los responsables de los asuntos municipales. Son escasas las publicaciones sobre este tema dirigidas tan directa y pragmáticamente a las autoridades decisorias y al personal financiero a nivel local. El contenido y los mensajes principales procuran responder a las inquietudes y a las cuestiones que enfrentan diariamente las ciudades y los municipios en la administración de sus finanzas. Finanzas municipales - Manual para los gobiernos locales asume una posición. En ocho capítulos, en esta obra se pasa revista a las lecciones aprendidas sobre relaciones intergubernamentales; finanzas de las áreas metropolitanas; gestión financiera, de los ingresos, de los gastos y de los activos públicos; financiamiento externo, y medición del desempeño de las finanzas municipales. Abarca temas tales como la descentralización, la transparencia y la rendición de cuentas, y aborda temas menos explorados como la gestión de activos, la capacidad crediticia, la respuesta frente a crisis financieras y los mecanismos de presentación de informes a los diversos niveles de gobierno y a la ciudadanía. Finanzas municipales - Manual para los gobiernos locales hace un llamado a la acción. No solo aporta conocimientos de avanzada en muchas cuestiones técnicas, sino que también guía a los gobiernos locales en el laberinto de los instrumentos existentes. En particular, la autoevaluación de las finanzas municipales que se propone en el capítulo 8 debería ayudar a los municipios a evaluar su propia situación y a avanzar en la senda de las reformas.

This book contains 21 papers focusing on a wide range of issues concerning financial sector transition in the countries of Europe and Central Asia (ECA). It places the transition economies in the context of recent and prospective developments in global financial markets. This book also evaluates the experience of the last 10 years and reviews the progress from a command financial system to a market-based one, identifying some of the key characteristics of the financial transition.

"Corporate Governance in Transition Economies" will appeal to a wide segment of the academic market including accounting and finance professors and students because the main theme of the book deals with accounting and financial system reform. Economists in the subfields of transition economics and development economics for it addresses current issues in their field. It will also appeal to scholars in the field of Russian and East European Studies because the book discusses topics involving Russia, Ukraine and other East European countries. Policy analysts who deal with accounting, finance, transition economics or Russia or Eastern Europe will also find this book to be a valuable reference and source of current information.

'Achieving the goals set by world leaders in the United Nations Millennium Declaration will be difficult without a significant improvement in the lives of slum dwellers, and the lives of slum dwellers cannot be improved without the sound and sustainable economic development that is conducive to the establishment of a strong shelter sector. As Financing Urban Shelter: Global Report on Human Settlements 2005 emphasizes, one of the key challenges in meeting the Millennium Declaration Goal on slums is mobilization of the financial resources necessary for both slum upgrading and slum prevention by supplying new housing affordable to lower income groups on a large scale. . . . It is my hope that, by highlighting the impacts of current shelter financing systems on low-income households and by identifying the types of financing mechanisms that appear to have worked for them, this report will contribute to the efforts of the wide range of actors involved in improving the lives of slum dwellers, including governments at the central and local levels, as well as non-governmental and international organizations.' From the Foreword by KOFI ANNAN, Secretary-General, United Nations Financing Urban Shelter presents the first global assessment of housing finance systems, placing shelter and urban development challenges within the overall context of macroeconomic policies. The report describes and analyses housing finance conditions and trends in all regions of the world, including formal housing finance mechanisms, microfinance and community funding, highlighting their relevance to the upgrading of slums. Recent shelter finance policy development is discussed at the international and national levels, and the directions that could be taken to strengthen shelter finance systems are examined. The Global Report on Human Settlements is the most authoritative and up-to-date assessment of conditions and trends in the world's cities. It is an essential tool and reference for researchers, academics, public authorities and civil society organizations around the world. The preceding issues of the Global Report on Human Settlements have addressed such topics as An Urbanizing World, Cities in a Globalizing World and The Challenge of Slums. Published with UN-HABITAT