Local Government Finance

This book—Local Government Finance: Theoretical Foundations, Evolution, and Contemporary Issues—examines the institutional, theoretical, and fiscal foundations of local government finance in an era of expanding decentralization and increasingly complex multi-level governance. Bringing together insights from fiscal federalism, decentralization, intergovernmental fiscal relations, and public financial management, it develops an integrated analytical framework for understanding how local governments finance, manage, and account for public resources. The book explores the institutional design of revenue and expenditure assignments, intergovernmental transfers, local taxation, borrowing, debt management, budgeting, accounting, auditing, and fiscal accountability, while situating these issues within broader debates on governance, fiscal sustainability, and public sector reform. Combining comparative international perspectives with a detailed analysis of Türkiye's local government financial system, it bridges theory and practice to advance contemporary scholarship on local public finance. It serves as a valuable resource for students and scholars of public finance, public administration, and economics, as well as policymakers and practitioners engaged in the design and management of local government financial systems.