Innovations in Management of Fiscal Equalisation: Decentralization Reform

Abstract

The article summarises the results of scientific analysis of the effectiveness of the system of horizontal financial equalisation as a tool for reducing inter-territorial economic and social disparities. The primary purpose of this study is to substantiate innovative approaches to improving the efficiency of the system of financial equalisation and operational management of financial imbalances of territories in the context of decentralisation reform. The subject of the study is the processes of management of the financial equalisation system in Ukraine since 2015, as it was at this time that the decentralisation reform began, the basis of which was the redistribution of financial resources. The presence of several unresolved practical and, therefore, technical and methodological tasks in the process of implementing the financial equalisation policy in Ukraine in the period 2015-2020 has made the research relevant. The comparative analysis of the system of horizontal financial equalisation in Ukraine in terms of its effectiveness in reducing inter-territorial fiscal imbalances and assessing the effectiveness of the authors’ innovative approaches to managing the financial equalisation system became a methodological tool of the study. Statistical and econometric methods were used to verify the obtained results. The results of the study showed that the current approach to financial equalisation of disparities in the local budgets of Ukraine is not sufficient and needs improvement. New management approaches have been developed in the system of financial management of territories aimed at improving the mechanism of horizontal equalisation of local budgets, in particular, at reducing the number of local budgets, which receive essential subsidies from the state budget and improving the efficiency of the horizontal equalisation system in terms of reducing financial disparities between local budgets. Because of these goals, the analysis of the inclusion of the country’s capital (Kyiv) into the national financial equalisation system was carried out. The study also substantiates the need for permanent monitoring of financial equalisation effectiveness. For a better understanding of how effectively the system of horizontal equalisation of fiscal revenues of territories functions, it is proposed to carry out a constant (annual) analysis of standard deviation indicators and other indicators that characterise its effectiveness. The results of the study can be useful both for state bodies planning and implementing the state budget and for implementing local financial policies by local self-governments. Keywords management, innovation, financial equalisation, budget, imbalance, asymmetry, decentralisation.