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This paper analyzes economies of scale for two municipal services by considering how per-household municipal costs are affected by a municipality’s size. An econometric model is used to estimate costs associated with fire and police services using data for 445 municipalities in the Province of Ontario.
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This paper examines the system of municipal finance in Hungary with special attention to the current changes in the regulation and finance of Hungarian municipalities and the change in central control over municipal finances in general after 2008, and suggests possible reforms.
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Excessive borrowing by local and regional governments is an important source of macroeconomic instability in monetary unions. Credit markets often indulge this behaviour (lending too much at excessively low interest rates) if they expect national officials to bail out struggling local jurisdictions. Drawing on cross-national and Canadian data, Hanniman discussed the role and limits of fiscal federal institutions in shaping these bailout beliefs.
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Public parks and library systems across North America are experiencing fiscal distress. Short-term cost-cutting measures galvanize the community to oppose the reductions, but are there longer-term solutions to the funding problems?
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IMFG, along with the School of Public Policy and Governance, the Department of Geography and Planning, Urban Strategies, and Global City Indicators Facility, presented the first lecture in the series, "Big City, Big Ideas," entitled Hudson Yards, NYC: The History, Challenges and Opportunities of North America’s Largest City-Building Development.
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In this video, IMFG, along with the School of Public Policy and Governance, the Department of Geography and Planning, Urban Strategies, and Global City Indicators Facility, presented the first lecture in the series, “Big City, Big Ideas,” entitled Hudson Yards, NYC: The History, Challenges and Opportunities of North America’s Largest City-Building Development.
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During 2011 and 2012, the Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance (IMFG) hosted a speakers’ series called Moving our Region on funding regional transportation. This report distills the key lessons from the series.
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Michael Smart presents the findings of his recent IMFG Paper, which explores the impacts of business property tax reform in Ontario between 2001 and 2004.
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