Theory of Public Finance in a Federal State

This book presents an optimal degree of fiscal decentralization in a federal state.

Acknowledgments; 1. Fiscal decentralization: benefits and problems; 2. Locational efficiency and efficiency-supporting tax systems; 3. Perfect interregional competition; 4. Interregional tax competition for mobile capital; 5. Optimal structure of local governments; 6. Incentive equivalence through perfect household mobility; 7. Efficiency and the degree of household mobility; 8. Decentralized redistribution policy; 9. Decentralization and intergenerational problems; 10. Informational asymmetry between the regions and the center; 11. Conclusions; References; Index.