Examining funding systems in countries like England, Scotland, Germany, Italy, Japan, Australia and Ireland, illuminates the interplay between finance, governance, and power, offering valuable guidance for developing innovative solutions to long-standing challenges. Read this article.

Dr Andrew Walker sat down with Dr Kevin Muldoon-Smith to discuss the LGIU’s international comparison project, which is exploring lessons from local government funding systems around the world. Watch the interview.

This paper draws on the LGIU’s ongoing project – in partnership with the University of Northumbria – which explores local government finance systems across different countries. It makes four practical proposals that could be immediately implemented in England to begin the work of fixing a system that is not fit for purpose. Read the report.

This seventh report explores the complex interactions across different levels of government and stakeholders to understand how the system of local government really works in Australia. Read the report.

This sixth report examines local government finance in Ireland in its political and economic context, considering the regulatory environment, capital financing, and sources of available revenue. Read the report.

This is the fifth report of the project. It is both a detailed assessment of local government finance in Scotland and a useful point of comparison with other systems. It covers the historical, legal, and constitutional context, as well as some of the Scottish system’s politics and peculiarities. Read the report.

This is the fourth report focusing in-depth on the local government system and funding mechanisms across different countries. This paper explores Japan, the evolution of its local government system and how it is financed. Read the full report.

The third report in our project, looking in-depth at funding systems in different countries, examines how things work in Italy. It explores the legal basis behind local government funding and how the system has evolved, as well as providing wider contextual detail of Italian local government. Read the full report.

This first report from the international comparisons project is an essential assessment of how local government is financed in England, the historical context, the peculiarities of the system and the reasons it has come under sustained criticism. Read the full report.

This article is an introduction to this project and includes an overview of the funding systems in England, Germany, Italy and Japan. Read the full article.