This thesis hinges upon the acknowledgement that Fiscal Decentralisation (FD) is an important ingredient in the current modernisation of government in numerous countries. Two basic questions are addressed. Firstly, it examines why some countries are more fiscally decentralised than others and secondly, it analyses the likely effects that such a decentralisation might have on the efficiency of the State. Two complementary approaches are followed to address the first question. Firstly, an econometric model to explain FD is estimated in Chapter I. The General Government appears to respond positively to income, population density, grants, military expenditures and trade. While urbanisation shows a negative effect, no significant impact on FD was detected in the cases of ethnic diversity and income distribution. As for decentralisation in the provision of housing and health, income has a negative effect. Also housing is negatively related to population density and positively affected by urbanisation. Secondly, the cases of USA, Canada, UK, Spain, Hungary, Poland, Argentina, Mexico and Chile are put under close examination in two basic aspects. Chapter II analyses the funding mechanisms of Sub National Governments (SNGs). Chapter III focuses on those responsibilities being held by SNGs and their historical origin. Anglo-American and Spanish traditions seem to have had a major influence in the institutional evolution of some countries and the extent of their FD. Regarding the effects of FD, Chapter IV examines a range of variables to explain Government's performance. It uses a two stages procedure that combines Data Envelopment Analysis with a set of Tobit regressions. The basic conclusion is that FD does not seem to affect macroeconomic variables, but it does have a positive and significant effect on the government's provision of health and education.

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The decathlon is a two-day competition of ten events, each event awarded points based on performance. The purpose of this study is to compare sub-national class decathlon scores and event performances with national and elite class decathlon performances and scores. The 2002 United States all-time decathlon performances and the 2002 world all-time decathlon performances were separated into elite, national or sub-national classes according to total points scored. Event performances, event scores, and total scores were then compared. Results indicated that the sub-national class decathletes on average scored less points in every event, showed more variability in performance, had weaker correlations between events and total score, and required more events to predict final score than national and elite decathletes.

y / This study examined economic well-being of sub-national units in India since the economic reforms. For this purpose, the study constructed well-being index for 17 major states of India for the period 1981–2011 based on five broad dimensions. Our results showed that the economic well-being of states has declined since the reforms. The interstate disparities have increased and the states (except Punjab and West Bengal) which performed well prior to the reforms continued to perform well in the post-reform years too. In addition, our regression results for the high well-being and low well-being states revealed that the reforms have benefited more developed high well-being states, rather than low well-being states. While human capital was found significantly and positively related to per capita incomes in both groups of the states, financial development was positively related in high well-being states, but a negative association was visible in the low well-being states.

Yes / In this study using standard measures of inequality such as Gini coefficient, Kakwani Index, coefficient of variation and Theil Index we examine inequality in carbon emissions for the years 2000-09 at the sub-national level covering 17 major states of India. At the outset, in order to estimate sub-national inequality in carbon emissions we also estimated total carbon emissions for each state for the above years using IPCC Reference Approach. Our findings showed that per capita carbon emissions were highest in the low income resource rich states and lower in the high income more developed states. The inequality in carbon emissions as demonstrated by Gini coefficients has increased over the years indicating that it is the poorer states which have to bear the burden.

Konkurencingumas, kaip tyrimo objektas svarbus tiek užsienio, tiek Lietuvos mokslininkams. Taip pat konkurencingumo sąvoka plačiai naudojama tarp valdžios, verslo ir mokslo atstovų, bei kitų visuomenės veikėjų. Konkurencingumas, mokslo ir technologijų plėtra – svarbi šalies plėtros strategijos dalis. Globalėjantis pasaulis, ekonominė rinka atneša daug naujų galimybių bei grėsmių. Tiek didesnė įtaka, tiek didesnis konkurencingumas padeda šaliai siekti užsibrėžtų tikslų, bei stiprinti savo pozicijas tarptautiniu mastu. Objektas – teritorijų konkurencingumo skatinimas. Tikslas - pagrįsti europinių paramos instrumentų svarbą siekiant paskatinti subnacionalinių teritorijų konkurencingumą. Rašant darbą atlikta dokumentų analizė ir kokybinis tyrimas, paremtas struktūruotais interviu su penkiais respondentais, atstovaujančiais verslo, mokslo ir valdžios interesus. Aptarta konkurencingumo samprata, išanalizuotos strategijos, įvairių lygmenų institucijų strategijų svarba konkurencingumo skatinimui, tinklaveika ir jos sąsajos su konkurencingumu. Parodyta, kad Europos lygmeniu kuriami strateginiai dokumentai, kurie numato ilgalaikes ir trumpalaikes priemones, tikslus ir dotacijas išsikeltiems uždaviniams pasiekti. Valstybė šių strategijų rėmuose priima nacionalinę strategiją, programavimo dokumentus ir eilę priemonių tikslams pasiekti. Europinių strategijų sėkmė ir panaudojimas priklauso nuo nacionalinių valstybių, jų įvairių lygių valdžios ir viešųjų institucijų, įmonių, švietimo ir... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Competitiveness as a research object is important for foreign and Lithuanian scientists. Competitiveness concept is widely used by government, business, and science representatives as well by other social characters. Competitiveness, science and technology development is very important part of country’s development strategy. More and more global world, economical market brings new opportunities and danger. Thus bigger influence and bigger competitiveness helps for country to reach its goals and to strengthen its positions in international sphere. Object – competitiveness stimulation of territories. The Aim – to justify the importance of European support which helps to stimulate competitiveness of sub national territories. This paper reveals the analysis of documents and quality research, which is based on structural interviews with five respondents, who represent business, science and government’s interests. It also discusses about the concept of competitiveness, analyzed strategies, and the importance of various levels of institutions’ strategies for stimulating competitiveness, also networking and its links with competitiveness. It is shown that in European level created documents foresees long-term and short-term tools, aims and subsidies to accomplish tasks. Country in the frames of these strategies adopts national strategy, schematic documents and a wide range of tools to achieve goals. The success of European strategies depends on national states, their various levels... [to full text]

Due to widespread decentralization of spending responsibilities, increasing revenue power and borrowing capacity of sub-national governments, sub-national borrowing has become an increasingly important source of sub-national finance. While there are arguments for and against giving sub-national authorities room for raising their own financial resources, appropriate sub-national borrowing regulatory framework can reduce chances of defaults and fiscal crises. This dissertation investigates the effectiveness of sub-national borrowing regulations in maintaining fiscal sustainability. More precisely, it tests the hypothesis that is sub-national borrowing is restricted to financing capital investments (the “golden rule”), and if the sub-national governments are provided with some measure of revenue autonomy, then the sub-national borrowing should not endanger fiscal sustainability. Based on the sub-national government panel data for 57 countries between 1990 and 2008 and applying the system GMM estimator and the survival analysis, this dissertation provides support for this hypothesis. The results suggest that the “golden rule” is effective in maintaining fiscal sustainability at both general and sub-national government level. Sub-national tax autonomy, however, seems to have positive but very small marginal effect on fiscal sustainability. The obtained results also emphasize the risk of the soft budget constraint and the moral hazard. Significant central government financing may give encouraging signs to the sub-national governments to over-borrow and to expect being bailed out by the central government. The results obtained in this dissertation imply following policy recommendations. First, sub-national government borrowing does not have to endanger fiscal sustainability if the borrowing regulation framework is well designed and according to specific country circumstances. Second, reducing fiscal dependence on central government financing reduces the risk of moral hazard and improves the effectiveness of borrowing control in maintaining fiscal balance at the sustainable level.

Due to widespread decentralization of spending responsibilities, increasing revenue power and borrowing capacity of sub-national governments, sub-national borrowing has become an increasingly important source of sub-national finance. While there are arguments for and against giving sub-national authorities room for raising their own financial resources, appropriate sub-national borrowing regulatory framework can reduce chances of defaults and fiscal crises. This dissertation investigates the effectiveness of sub-national borrowing regulations in maintaining fiscal sustainability. More precisely, it tests the hypothesis that is sub-national borrowing is restricted to financing capital investments (the “golden rule”), and if the sub-national governments are provided with some measure of revenue autonomy, then the sub-national borrowing should not endanger fiscal sustainability. Based on the sub-national government panel data for 57 countries between 1990 and 2008 and applying the system GMM estimator and the survival analysis, this dissertation provides support for this hypothesis. The results suggest that the “golden rule” is effective in maintaining fiscal sustainability at both general and sub-national government level. Sub-national tax autonomy, however, seems to have positive but very small marginal effect on fiscal sustainability. The obtained results also emphasize the risk of the soft budget constraint and the moral hazard. Significant central government financing may give encouraging signs to the sub-national governments to over-borrow and to expect being bailed out by the central government. The results obtained in this dissertation imply following policy recommendations. First, sub-national government borrowing does not have to endanger fiscal sustainability if the borrowing regulation framework is well designed and according to specific country circumstances. Second, reducing fiscal dependence on central government financing reduces the risk of moral hazard and improves the effectiveness of borrowing control in maintaining fiscal balance at the sustainable level.

Esta dissertação aborda, de maneira analítico-descritiva, um fenômeno de crescente importância nas relações internacionais: a atuação diplomática dos governos não centrais, também conhecidos como entes subnacionais. Dentro do contexto da pós Guerra-Fria e do vigente processo de globalização, após a década de 1980, é analisado como os entes subnacionais de diversos países do mundo, além do Brasil, se comportam diante das novas demandas globais e face à seus interesses específicos. A partir da premissa teórica da interdependência complexa, o trabalho estuda o início e o desenvolvimento deste processo de atuação internacional dos entes subnacionais, fenômeno conhecido como paradiplomacia. A análise se estende ao plano internacional, em um primeiro momento, demonstrando, de maneira geral, a importância da paradiplomacia em diferentes países do mundo, com ênfase nos casos de maior relevância para o trabalho. Num segundo momento, estuda-se, em particular, a prática da paradiplomacia no Brasil, relatando suas concepções e seu desenvolvimento, bem como os principais casos brasileiros e seus resultados práticos. O trabalho conclui que a democratização dos Estados nacionais, o federalismo e os processo de integração regional são tendencialmente estimuladores da paradiplomacia dos governos não centrais. / This dissertation approaches in a descriptive way a new perspective in International Relations: the international action of non-central governments, or sub national actors. Inside an after-Cold-War context and the present globalization process, started in the 80’s, is analyzed as the sub national actors from different countries in the world, besides Brazil, behaved and as yet behave facing new global demands, observing the process also in the Nation-States which they belong to. From the theoretical premise of the complex interdependence, supported by the globalization tool, it is approached the beginning and the development of this international entailing process of the sub national beings, which is known as paradiplomacy. The analysis stretches out to the international plan in the first moment, demonstrating, in a wide range, the importance of the paradiplomacy in different countries of the world, exemplifying with cases of bigger relevance to this monography, and demonstrating the misdeeds and benefits of this practice. In a second moment, it is analyzed in particular the practice of the paradiplomacy in Brazil, mentioning its conception and development, in the same way as the global cases, and also mentioning, in a wide manner, the main Brazilian cases of paradiplomacy, just like its practical results.

Esta dissertação aborda, de maneira analítico-descritiva, um fenômeno de crescente importância nas relações internacionais: a atuação diplomática dos governos não centrais, também conhecidos como entes subnacionais. Dentro do contexto da pós Guerra-Fria e do vigente processo de globalização, após a década de 1980, é analisado como os entes subnacionais de diversos países do mundo, além do Brasil, se comportam diante das novas demandas globais e face à seus interesses específicos. A partir da premissa teórica da interdependência complexa, o trabalho estuda o início e o desenvolvimento deste processo de atuação internacional dos entes subnacionais, fenômeno conhecido como paradiplomacia. A análise se estende ao plano internacional, em um primeiro momento, demonstrando, de maneira geral, a importância da paradiplomacia em diferentes países do mundo, com ênfase nos casos de maior relevância para o trabalho. Num segundo momento, estuda-se, em particular, a prática da paradiplomacia no Brasil, relatando suas concepções e seu desenvolvimento, bem como os principais casos brasileiros e seus resultados práticos. O trabalho conclui que a democratização dos Estados nacionais, o federalismo e os processo de integração regional são tendencialmente estimuladores da paradiplomacia dos governos não centrais. / This dissertation approaches in a descriptive way a new perspective in International Relations: the international action of non-central governments, or sub national actors. Inside an after-Cold-War context and the present globalization process, started in the 80’s, is analyzed as the sub national actors from different countries in the world, besides Brazil, behaved and as yet behave facing new global demands, observing the process also in the Nation-States which they belong to. From the theoretical premise of the complex interdependence, supported by the globalization tool, it is approached the beginning and the development of this international entailing process of the sub national beings, which is known as paradiplomacy. The analysis stretches out to the international plan in the first moment, demonstrating, in a wide range, the importance of the paradiplomacy in different countries of the world, exemplifying with cases of bigger relevance to this monography, and demonstrating the misdeeds and benefits of this practice. In a second moment, it is analyzed in particular the practice of the paradiplomacy in Brazil, mentioning its conception and development, in the same way as the global cases, and also mentioning, in a wide manner, the main Brazilian cases of paradiplomacy, just like its practical results.