Financing of cities, municipalities and regions - theory and practice

The book deals comprehensively and exhaustively with the issue of local government financing in modern societies. Financing of local governments is constantly evolving in all countries (not excluding the Czech Republic) - it is a continuous and uninterrupted process influenced by economic, political and social changes. The expanded and updated edition of the publication Financing Cities, Municipalities and Regions - Theory and Practice responds to these social, economic and legislative changes and covers them in an updated text.
The book can be divided thematically into three parts. The first part presents the theoretical and methodological background of the researched issue with its result in an international comparison. It is devoted to the structure of public administration, fiscal federalism, the hierarchy of budgeting and the budget as the basic plan of any local government. The second part of the publication focuses on the budgetary management of regions and municipalities in the Czech Republic - the author deals with the issues of delegation of responsibility for the provision and financing of public goods by the different levels of local governments, revenue allocation and budgetary determination of taxes in its chronological development, indebtedness of local governments and its regulation and, last but not least, legislative and economic aspects of ownership of property of municipalities and regions. This part of the publication has been most affected by the update. The second edition reflects changes and current developments in the financing of municipalities and regions in the Czech Republic. The section devoted to the possibilities of financing local governments from the sources of
European Union, which provides an overview of the individual operational programmes and their priorities under which municipalities and regions can apply for funding in the 2007-2013 budget period. The third part represents a kind of superstructure, from the link to the competences provided - public services - to the management of public funds. The author introduces methods and procedures for improving the quality of services provided and the quality of management of local governments, also emphasizes the importance of the control of local government management and its legislative anchorage in the Czech Republic. The publication is enriched with numerous diagrams, tables and graphs that contribute to its clarity. In addition, each chapter is accompanied by an introductory statement of objectives and a concluding summary.
The book is intended not only for professionals in the field of public administration and local government, students of economics faculties, but also for the general public interested in the issue of financing municipalities and regions in today's complex economic and social conditions.