This study explores the financial sustainability of subnational governments in four different countries. Scholars argue that subnational fiscal capacity helps local governments deliver better public services and provide public goods, which in turn helps to promote economic growth. While administrative control by the central governments contributes to reducing moral hazard from the soft budget constraints, bottom-up strategies to manage fiscal profligacy also need attention. The study first provides understanding about the characteristics of central-local governance and management of subnational government debt of each country. Then, we test our hypotheses regarding local fiscal capacity and administrative control, including political-economic factors that may affect debt spending by local governments. Our findings show that subnational fiscal sustainability improves when the central governments have clear rules to intergovernmental transfers in place and more (market) liberal policies, meanwhile when subnational governments have a more fiscal capacity and less intergovernmental transfers they are able to manage their debt more soundly.

This research seeks to understand which essential characteristics are necessary to drive municipal governments to adopt smart growth measures. By testing previously expected outcomes for why a local government would adopt a particular policy, we find an inherent need to create strong needs-based policies promoted by interest groups. We conducted a principal component analysis and a linear regression model to test several hypotheses. A discussion of this analysis is provided along with policy recommendations to explain why and when metropolitan areas use sustainability plans and how to encourage more to do so.

Are public policy programs in Mexico ensuring students receive the correct public finance and budgeting training to cut corruption, corporatism, clientelism, and other plaguing patronage elements? Are these programs also teaching public financial management to ensure accountability, results, and responsiveness for our future government officials? Are we creating more integrative and ethical public financial managers with the appropriate knowledge of public financial systems? In order to address these questions, this study compiled general and curricular information of 68 masters’s programs in public administration across the 32 states in Mexico, covering a total of 1,138 courses. To conduct the analysis, this article identifies five complementary lenses for evaluating and teaching public finance and budgeting. The authors argue that, although nearly all Masters in Public Policy and Public Administration programs in Mexico teach public finance, there is a wide variation in the lenses, tools, and techniques used across these programs. Furthermore, the scope of this curricular component is not sufficient to face the challenges of the country and its regions, nor to address the diverse social needs, local contexts, and government institutions, and labor market for public employees.