Arilyn. Danilo. Liriel. Cunningham. A collection of stories drawn from the pages of over a decade's worth of Forgotten Realms anthologies, plus new surprises in three previously unpublished stories from one of the defining voices of this great fantasy setting!

The reform of fiscal relations between different levels of geovernment is crucial to the success of China's current structural transformation to a socialist market economy. The reform will profoundly affect macroeconomic stability, growth prospects , and the effectiveness of providing public services and interregional equity. In order to review international experience and to clearly identify the policy options for China in the short to medium term, a conference was held in Shanghai in October 1993. The papers in this volume, edited by Ehtisham Ahmad, Gao Qiang, and Vito Tanzi, include those presented at the conference and a few that supplement it.

This paper provides an overview of recent Chinese reforms to introduce a modern system of fiscal federalism that balances the need for central macroeconomic control with the economic advantages of decentralized government. Following a discussion of the rationale for decentralization, the paper describes the main structural and economic developments in China in this area, including their impact on economic stabilization. The key measures in the 1994 fiscal reforms as well as reform initiatives needed in the future are also discussed.

China is the most decentralized country in the world in terms of expenditures shares, with subnational governments responsible for 85 percent of government spending. Limited revenue autonomy and insufficient intergovernmental transfers have led to large unfunded mandates and a build-up of debt outside the budget. The government has recently announced an ambitious intergovernmental fiscal reform, which will increase the role of the central government. Comprehensive reform is needed to improve public service delivery, increase overall social spending levels and reduce regional disparities. Revenue reforms are also necessary to improve efficiency and reduce vulnerabilities from excessive subnational borrowing. These reforms are challenging, but are crucial so that the government can support China’s continued development and prosperity.