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Financial Sustainability in Public Administration pp 193–225Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

The Sustainability of Local Government Finances in England, Germany, and the Netherlands: The Impact of Intergovernmental Regulatory Regimes

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Abstract

De Widt investigates how local government financial sustainability is influenced by the regulatory framework in which local governments operate. Applying a comparative constitutional approach, the chapter analyzes the regulatory regimes on local finances in England, Germany, and the Netherlands. The regimes are investigated by concentrating on the impact of fiscal rules, and the monitoring structures in place to impose their implementation. Special attention is paid to the institutional arrangements that apply to non-compliant local authorities. The author demonstrates that growing local financial stress is partly met by regulators with a relaxation of fiscal rules, carrying considerable risks for the sustainability of local and intergovernmental finances. The chapter concludes with policy recommendations on how to improve the robustness of the regulatory regimes that govern local finances.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Exeter Business School, Exeter, UK

    Dennis de Widt

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  1. Dennis de Widt
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Correspondence to Dennis de Widt .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Granada , Granada, Spain

    Manuel Pedro Rodríguez Bolívar

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de Widt, D. (2017). The Sustainability of Local Government Finances in England, Germany, and the Netherlands: The Impact of Intergovernmental Regulatory Regimes. In: Rodríguez Bolívar, M. (eds) Financial Sustainability in Public Administration. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57962-7_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57962-7_8

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-57961-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-57962-7

  • eBook Packages: Economics and FinanceEconomics and Finance (R0)

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