Fiscal Policy. Due to the comprehensive nature of the fiscal reform, fiscal policy reforms often require consideration of a large number of related fiscal aspects, including reform of the tax structure, tax administration, budget management, pension reform, and intergovernmental fiscal relations. Whereas many practitioners only specialize on a particular piece of the fiscal system, the depth and breadth of the International Center for Public Policy allows is to take into account both the individual components of the fiscal system (such as individual taxes or expenditure programs) as well as the architecture of the fiscal system as a whole.

Urbanization. Urbanization is a policy concerns in emerging economies and especially China. Work on agglomeration economies Issues that the Center’s Fellows have worked on include how cities can be most effective in tackling climate change and achieving greener growth; how city clusters can be integrated for greater agglomeration economies ? What linkages between urban and rural areas can be facilitated to expand their economic potential? And what policies are critical for urbanization to be more efficient, sustainable and inclusive? The Policy Research Center conducts in-depth analyses of national-level and provincial policies related to urban development in China, and bring to bear good urbanization policies and regional development practices elsewhere in the world on improving economic efficiency, environmental sustainability and social inclusion.

Public Administration, Budgeting and Financial Management.  Public administration is increasingly recognized as a crucial fiscal policy tool in the public sector. The introduction of modern fiscal management techniques at all levels of government is needed to ensure that the three objectives of expenditure management (aggregate fiscal discipline, expenditure prioritization, and operational efficiency) are achieved. Fiscal management techniques that are becoming increasingly pertinent in developing and transition economies include placement of the budget process in the context of a medium-term budget strategy, devolution of budget responsibilities, and the introduction of performance-based budget techniques.

Taxation. The China Academy of Public Finance and Policy has nationally renowned faculty in tax policy and our Fellows worked on the various tax reform efforts in China since 1994. Our fellows and research associates have many years of hands-on experience working with the China’s State Administration of Taxation and the local tax bureau on a broad realm of issues.

Territorial and Regional Development. The clustering of production in cities drives economic growth, and as a result, the spatial and regional disparities in economic activity and welfare widen rapidly during urbanization in middle income countries. The principle of economic justice makes wide gaps in living standards between leading and lagging areas politically intolerable. So the policy question is that how can the governments reap the benefits of economic agglomeration while mitigating geographic disparities in well-being. It is hard for policy makers to find straightforward advice on lagging area development given the controversy that exists among the experts and the diversity of locations. The Policy Research Center has worked with the Chinese counterparts to investigate the causes of spatial disparities and pockets of persistent poverty; the allocation of investment for infrastructure; the international experience of technology poles, and in lo cal economic development policy.

Decentralization. Decentralization and subnational fiscal policy play an important role in effective and equitable delivery of public services as they could increase citizen participation in the governance process and enhances government accountability. By yielding greater fiscal responsibilities to regional and local governments, the public sector can be more flexible in response to variations in regional and local needs and demands for public services. The Policy Research Center has hands-on experience in a broad realm of policy issues surrounding decentralization reform, e.g., local government structure, expenditure assignments, local revenue mobilization, intergovernmental transfers, and local government borrowing.