Conclusions & Lessons for Future Study

This paper discusses the findings of a multi-country study on the interaction of and Nigeria. We compare and contrast the division of expenditure responsibilities and taxation powers in the federations. The countries studied had a common pattern of centralized taxation and tangled subnational and federal responsibilities in many policy areas. The second part of the paper focuses on the dynamics of federalism, illustrating the ongoing political bargains in the countries studied. We review the countries' experience with globalization and draw out some of the common strains that integration with the international economy places on federalism. The final section compares countries' institutions for managing central and subnational government cooperation (and conflict) in economic reforms.