International Studies Program Update
Volume 4, Number 2 (December 2004)

ISP Completes the Jamaican Tax Review 2004
The Jamaica Tax Reform Project -which was awarded by the Jamaican Ministry of Finance in July 2003- was completed by AYSPS faculty in December 2004. The study engaged ISP in an in-depth review of Jamaica’s tax structure. The results of this review are being utilized by the Jamaican Government and the Tax Reform Committee to develop a blueprint for the future reform process. Roy Bahl and Sally Wallace served as co-directors for the study; other AYSPS faculty contributing to the study included Professors James Alm, Richard Bird, Kelly Edmiston, Mark Rider, Felix Rioja, David Sjoquist and Sam Skogstad.

USAID Fiscal Reform Project
During April 2004, the ISP hosted a week-long USAID training program "Fiscal Policy Reform: Principles and Trends" as part of USAID's Fiscal Reform in Support of Trade Liberalization project. The training program was developed by the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies and was customized to expose USAID officials to the principles and recent trends in fiscal policy reform, tax policy design, tax administration, budget policy, public expenditure management and fiscal decentralization.

Also as part of USAID's Fiscal Reform Project, ISP experts Jamie Boex, Jorge Martinez-Vazquez and Javier Arze prepared a comprehsenive study on corruption, fiscal policy and fiscal management. The study assesses the current state of knowledge on the issue of fiscal corruption and contributes to our understanding of how fiscal policies and fiscal management interact with corruption issues. The study integrates concrete and practical issues with theoretical and quantitative analysis of their nature and consequences.

Local Government Fiscal Reform in Tanzania
Jamie Boex continues to work with the Tanzanian Local Government Reform Programme (PO-RALG) and the Ministry of Finance on the implementation of a formula-based system for allocating grants to local government authorities in Tanzania. The objective of the technical assistance and capacity building support is to assist in the implementation of an equitable and transparent system for allocating grants to local government authorities in Tanzania. The project is funded by the Royal Danish Embassy (DANIDA).

In addition, AYSPS faculty members Jamie Boex, Jorge Martinez-Vazquez and ISP Consultant Philip van Ryneveld have also begun a study to assist the Government of Tanzania the development of a strategic framework for the financing of local governments in Tanzania. This study is designed to assist the Government in developing an overall policy framework for intergovernmental fiscal relations, including decisions on the the structure of local government taxes as well as the system of intergovernmental transfers.

ISP Delivers Policy Training Around the World
During the second half, the Andrew Young School continued its record of providing capacity building and training programs around the world. As part of the Andrew Young School's annual Fiscal Policy Summer Training Courses, the ISP offered four certificate courses from June - AUgust 2004, notably: Tax Policy, Fiscal Analysis and Revenue Forecasting; Macroeconomic Policy Choices in the Global Economy; Fiscal Decentralization and Local Governance; and Public Budgeting and Fiscal Management.

The Public Budgeting Course also served as the basis for a three-week Bhutan Medium Term Expenditure Training Program for budget officials from Bhutan. In addition to attending the two-week Public Budgeting Course at Georgia State University, the tailored program added a special one-week workshop on public expenditure management and Medium Term Expenditure Frameworks held at the World Bank in Washington, D.C.

In addition, in September 2004, the International Studies Programs hosted twenty senior government officials from Thailand Prime Minister's Office for the Thai Modern Public Expenditure Budgeting Training Program. The program concentrated on the development of the knowledge and skills of the finance officers regarding the use of accounting principles and budgeting systems. This intense two week program was sponsored by the Thai Bureau of the Budget, Prime Minister's Office.

Jorge Martinez-Vazquez and Robert Searle Host ISP Conference: Challenges in the Design of Fiscal Equalization and Intergovernmental Transfers
International Studies Program Director Jorge Martinez-Vazuez and renowned Australian transfer expert Robert Searle hosted the international conference The Challenges in the Design of Fiscal Equalization and Intergovernmental Transfers. The invitation-only conference (which was held from October 3-5, 2004, in Stone Mountain, Georgia) brought together some of the world’s leading policy experts on the issue of intergovernmental fiscal relations and transfer design.

GSU Alumni in Banda Aceh Struck by the Tsunami Disaster
As the largest natural disaster in recent history, the earthquake and tsunami that struck the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004, caused massive destruction across South Asia with more than 200,000 dead and millions displaced. During 2001/02 and 2002/03, 13 economists from Banda Aceh, Indonesia, -most faculty members at the economics department at Syiah Kuala University (UNSYIAH)- lived in Atlanta for a year as they attended the graduate program at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. All program participants had returned to Indonesia and many were in Aceh as the disaster struck. It is with great sadness that the International Studies Programs learned of the loss of two alumni of the GSU Indonesian Masters Program.

More Information
For more information on the International Studies Program or its activities, please visit our website at http://isp-aysps.gsu.edu or contact Mr. Paul Benson at paulbenson@gsu.edu.

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