Local Public Sector Database Construction and Analysis

The Urban Institute (UI) Center on International Development and Governance conducts research, lends assistance, and builds capacity to promote economic and democratic development around the world. The Capstone team is working with UI to create a Local Public Sector Finance Database as the cornerstone of the Local Public Sector Initiative. The team collected data on financial, political, and administrative dimensions of the local public sector of 12 countries, with an emphasis on Africa and Asia. The countries selected include those that primarily employ either a devolved or deconcentrated system of local governance. The data collected will ultimately be used for the analysis of public sector effectiveness in developing countries. Outcomes will be compared across countries to determine how expenditures play a different role in the “production function” of the public sector and whether systemic differences exist between local public sector finances in devolved versus deconcentrated countries.