• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.389-410
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• 1995

Large metropolitan areas in the US are distinguished by highly fragmented fiscally independent suburban municipalities and special districts. The suburban fragmentation implies the congregation of similar socio-economic groups escaped from central cities and the disparity of geographical resources among local government jurisdictions. This study examines St.Louis County suburbs as a case study for the implictions of suburban governmental fragmentation and the fiscal disparities across local governmental boundaries by analyzing their relationship with public service provision using police and public school services as examples. The distribution of fiscal resources across political boundaries, the processes which created them, and public service inequalities reproduced from the disparity of fiscal resources reveal the causes and consequences of suburban governmental fragmentation. The central part of suburban fragmentation is the segregation of public goods consumption reproduced from the disparity of local fiscal resources, and it acts as a basic geographical segregating force in the suburban spatial organization.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.10
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• pp.433-442
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• 2020

This study investigates the impact of fiscal transfer, specifically the Village Fund Transfer, on rural income inequality and rural poverty. Studies on fiscal transfer offers contrasting outcomes, some argues that fiscal transfer suppresses wealth disparity, while others argue that it tends to widen disparity. This study employs descriptive analysis in estimating the elasticity of income inequality and poverty rate before and after the Village Fund Transfer. It develops multiple regressions model on panel datasets of 33 provinces in Indonesia before and after the implementation of Village Fund Transfer. This study suggests that the elasticity of income inequality is higher after the implementation of village fund transfer. Rural poverty tends to decline annually, however, the elasticity changes is lower after the implementation of village fund transfer. Furthermore, this study suggests that village fund transfer is insignificant in coping with the issue of income inequality, while education and the level of labor productivity of agricultural sector appears to be the determinant factor in tackling the issue of income inequality in the rural areas. This study further reveals the significance of village fund transfer in suppressing the rural poverty rate. This study also highlights the significance of human resources quality and agricultural sector in reducing poverty rate in rural areas.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.99-124
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• 2009

This study investigates the problems of welfare decentralization reform implemented by Roh Mu-Hyun Administration and examines a policy direction for improving the decentralization. The reform has caused various problems. Local governments have suffered from heavy financial burden. Some social services, devolved into local governments, have not adequately provided as before. In addition, fiscal disparity among localities has increased. To deal with these problems, experts have proposed several plans, such as restoring the devolved programs to national subsidy programs, inventing a new social welfare grant, or introducing block grants. This study suggests that some of the devolved welfare programs should be restored to the national subsidies, since they cannot be maintained properly by local governments. Also, we need to adjust financial responsibilities between the central and local government in the national subsidy programs. Introducing block grant can be one satisfying solution to enhance local autonomy while maintaining the financial responsibility of central government. In some national subsidy programs, the financial contribution by the central government should be increased to alleviate financial burden of local governments.