The Authority

Good local governance is essential for an efficient and financially robust public sector as well as high quality public services. During the last decade or so, many countries have aimed at better local governance by reforming their local government and the fiscal relations between central and local authorities. In the coming years, we can expect to see more reforms in many countries, including Finland, as most countries will have to adjust to ageing populations and dwindling fiscal resources. This book is about reforms that aim to improve local governance. The articles of this book are written by academic scholars with outstanding expertise about local governance, reforms of fiscal relations and rules that steer the economics of local and central government. Research Director Antti Moisio from the Government Institute for Economic Research has led this project and edited the resulting book with expertise and competence. I want to express my sincere appreciation and thanks to all the authors of this volume: Lars-Erik Borge and Jørn Rattsø from the Norwegian University of Scienc