Decentralization in the Philippines : Stgrengthening Local Government Financing and Resource Management in the Short Term

[摘要] This report reviews two facets ofdecentralization currently engaging policy-makers: 1) thesources of financing under decentralization, and, 2)cross-cutting processes to strengthen the accountability ofresource use. It does not assess whether decentralization isjustified in the Philippines - it approaches thearrangements as they exist, and explicitly focuses onactions that could be feasibly completed within six to ninemonths. Administrative actions in two key areas couldimprove local government performance in the short term: a)enhancing LGU - Local Government Unit - ability and capacityto access resources, and, (b) strengthening key resourcemanagement processes in the first instance, those relatingto planning, budgeting, procurement and financialmanagement. The report's recommendations stem from fivemain issues: raising LGU access to credit by privatefinancial institutions (PFIs) requires removing bottlenecksto PFI participation in LGU lending, and rationalizing LGUgrant policies; local government own-source revenues couldbe significantly increased through LGU measures to increasecollection of real property tax and business tax, and,national government actions to assist LGUs; local governmentplanning and budget management could be made more effective,transparent and accountable through administrative measuresby local and national governments; actions to embedtransparency and accountability within LGU procurement andfinancial management processes, could improve theseprocesses, promote effective resource use, and strengthenLGU governance over time; and, the national governmentshould initiate a review of the institutional arrangementsfor generating consensus among stakeholders, on managing thedecentralization process.

[发布日期] 2004-12-15 [发布机构] Washington, DC

[学科分类] 社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

[关键词] ACCOUNTABILITY;ACCOUNTING;ADMINISTRATIVE CAPACITY;APPROPRIATIONS;AUCTIONS