Development Charges
Funding Urban Infrastructure in India and the Global South

The book studies development charges to show how they are inadequate for India and suggests better ways to levy them.

Shishir Mathur (Author)

9781009100465, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 27 June 2024

234 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.8 cm, 0.454 kg

The book uses the two key findings of the extant literature-the need to empower urban local governments and to employ a variety of local revenue sources-to advance the field of local government finance by studying an important fee-based revenue source - development charges. It begins by situating development charges in the larger ecosystem of local public finance and identifying factors to be considered while designing and implementing a development charge program. Next, it reviews the use of development charges globally, especially in Australia, South Africa, and the US. After that, through a comparative analysis of development charge programs in India and the US, and simulations, the book shows how development charges are inadequate for urban India's and the Global South's infrastructure needs. Finally, it suggests ways to levy development charges that are legally sound, transparent, equitable, and politically and administratively feasible while providing a robust revenue stream.

List of Figures
List of Tables
Foreword
Preface
List of Abbreviations
1. Introduction to Development Charges: Normative Bases and Their Role in Local Public Finance
2. Use of Development Charges Globally
3. Major Design and Implementation Considerations
4. Overview of Development Charges in India
5. Case Studies of Development Charge Programs
6. Recommendations
7. Way Forward and Future Research Opportunities
Index.

Subject Areas: Public finance [KFFD]