Teaching plan for the course unit

 

 
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General information

 

Course unit name: Regional and Local Finance

Course unit code: 366719

Academic year: 2025-2026

Coordinator: Cristina De Gispert Brosa

Department: Department of Economics

Credits: 6

Single program: S

 

 

Estimated learning time

Total number of hours 150

 

Face-to-face and/or online activities

60
 

-  Lecture with practical component

Face-to-face

  

60

Supervised project

20

Independent learning

70

 

 

Recommendations

 

Students are strongly recommended not to enrol in this subject until they have completed the subjects in Public Treasury: Principles and Expenditure and Public Treasury: Income.

 

 

Competences / Learning outcomes to be gained during study

 

   -

  • Ethical commitment (capacity for critical and self-critical thinking/ability to demonstrate attitudes consistent with ethical and professional principles).
  • Ability to make decisions. This competency includes: ability to identify the essential elements of a decision-making problem, that is, the agents involved, the available actions, the information accessible to those agents, and the outcomes or consequences of the potential actions. Ability to identify points of uncertainty, formulate hypotheses, and deduce possible results while maintaining a critical perspective. Ability to reason strategically by making assumptions about others’ behaviour, analysing equilibria, understanding the research techniques involved, and the assumptions on which such equilibria are based. Ability to make effective economic and business decisions: understanding the basic concepts of economics and management in order to analyse decisions, using appropriate quantitative and qualitative tools, and identifying, formulating, and solving problems of varying complexity.
  • Ability to produce, analyse, and interpret economic information. This competency includes: ability to obtain, process, and analyse data leading to the presentation of economic information, both internal and external, for public and private entities. Ability to interpret an economic report from an economic institution. Ability to correctly interpret graphs, economic indices, and their derived representations, and to produce both written and oral reports. Ability to interpret, analyse, and carry out financial and investment operations.
  • Ability to adapt to dynamic environments. This competency includes: ability to identify and understand processes of change and innovation, and to analyse their implications. Ability to anticipate, adapt to, and propose alternatives in response to economic, social, and technological changes.
  • Critical capacity for the analysis of economic theories and models. This competency includes: ability to critically analyse and evaluate the economic behaviour of individuals and their decision-making processes. Ability to analyse the aggregate behaviour of an economy and its implications. Ability to empirically assess the adequacy of theoretical models within a given economic context.

 

 

Learning objectives

 

Referring to knowledge

  • Examine the characteristics, effects, and economic challenges faced by a complex public sector with central, regional, and local levels of government, with particular attention to issues of public expenditure and, especially, public revenue.

  • Acquire an understanding of the principal developments in the theory of fiscal federalism concerning the distribution of functions and responsibilities among the various levels of government within a framework of fiscal autonomy and increasing mobility of people, firms, goods, and capital.

  • Define and analyse the fundamental concepts and requirements that underpin sound sub-central taxation systems.

  • Understand the functioning and economic effects of subsidies and equalization payments.

  • Learn to analyse and evaluate the characteristics and effects of subsidies and equalization payments.

  • Analyse and evaluate the characteristics and effects of the components of current financial models for the autonomous regions in Spain: taxes, shared revenues and subsidies.

  • Analyse and evaluate the characteristics and effects of the components of the current financial models for municipalities and supra-municipal entities in Spain: taxes, fees, shared revenues and subsidies.

 

 

Teaching blocks

 

1. Theory of Fiscal Federalism

1.1. Fiscal federalism and the functions of the sub-central public sector

1.2. Provision of local public goods

1.3. Principles of sub-central taxation

1.4. Assignation of taxes to different levels of government

1.5. Intergovernmental subsidies and equalization payments

2. Autonomous Treasury in Spain

2.1. Autonomous treasury in Spain. Introduction and legal framework

2.2. Autonomous finance (I): Regional taxation, transferred tax and participations

2.3. Autonomous finance (II): Equalization payments and other funds

2.4. Autonomous finance (III): Communities of chartered regime

3. Local Treasury in Spain

3.1. Legal, jurisdictional and territorial framework

3.2. Property tax and other taxes

3.3. Taxes, public fees and special levies

3.4. Municipal participation in State taxation and other funds or subsidies

3.5. Supramunicipal treasury. Objectives and revenue

 

 

Teaching methods and general organization

 

The learning process is divided into two parts: a theoretical component, which provides the conceptual and analytical foundations of the subject; and a second, applied, component, which focuses on the specific case of Spain, and in particular Catalonia, analysing existing financial models and instruments and developing alternative proposals. The course is largely delivered through lectures, with a certain amount of learning time also devoted to practical or critical thinking activities, during which students argue the concepts introduced and make use of the analytical tools explained.

 

 

Official assessment of learning outcomes

 

Continuous assessment

Two tests are held during the semester (in the second and fourth months), corresponding respectively to the theoretical component (Fiscal Federalism) and the component addressing the financing of the autonomous communities. These two tests together account for 40% of the final grade. A further 10% corresponds to small-group work relating to the section on local finance,  and another 10% is available for regular attendance and active class participation. The remaining 40% of the grade corresponds to the final examination, which consists of a series of both compulsory and optional theoretical and applied questions, to be completed within a maximum of two hours.

The final grade is calculated as follows:

a) If students obtain a mark of 4 out of 10 or higher on the final exam, the final grade for the subject is the higher of the following two: 1) the weighted average of the marks for the final examination (40%), the two mid-term tests (40%) and class attendance and active participation (10%); or 2) the mark for the final examination.

b) If students obtain a mark lower than 4 out of 10, the student appears as a "fail" on the official grade record.

Repeat assessment

Students who do not pass the course (including those who appear as "no shows" - no presentat - on the official grade record) during the standard examination period may sit the repeat assessment exam, on the date set by the Academic Board. Repeat assessment consists of a two-hour final examination similar in structure to that of the standard examination for continuous assessment. This examination accounts for 100% of the final grade. Any marks obtained from assessed activities conducted during the semester cannot be taken into account in the re-evaluation process.

Assessment of competences

The assessment system is specifically designed to evaluate students’ success in acquiring the competences set out in this course plan. Both the mid-term tests and the final examination assess students’ capacity to analyse and apply theoretical concepts to real economic contexts, their ability to evaluate models and their effects, and to formulate creative and coherent proposals consistent with the principles of equity, efficiency, and sound public management.

EUS group

Students in the EUS group, taught in English, may follow a different continuous assessment procedure, as detailed in the specific course programme for that group. The final examination may also differ in structure from that of the other groups, as explained in the corresponding course programme.

 

Examination-based assessment

The single mode of assessment consists of a final examination accounting for 100% of the final grade. The examination includes a series of compulsory and optional theoretical and applied questions and must be completed within a maximum of two hours.

Repeat assessment

Students who do not pass the course (including those who appear as "no shows" - no presentat - on the official grade record) during the standard examination period may sit the repeat assessment exam, on the date set by the Academic Board. Repeat assessment consists of a comprehensive final examination with a structure similar to that of the ordinary mode of assessment.

Assessment of competences

The assessment system is specifically designed to evaluate students’ success in acquiring the competences set out in this course plan. Both the mid-term tests and the final examination assess students’ capacity to analyse and apply theoretical concepts to real economic contexts, their ability to evaluate models and their effects, and to formulate creative and coherent proposals consistent with the principles of equity, efficiency, and sound public management.

EUS group

Students in the EUS group, taught in English, may follow a different continuous assessment procedure, as detailed in the specific course programme for that group.

 

 

Reading and study resources

Check availability in Cercabib

Book

Bosch, N. i Vilalta, M. (2023): Models de finançament. Una immersió ràpida. Tibidabo Edicions. Barcelona.

Catāleg UB  Enllaç

FISHER, Ronald C. State and local public finance. 2a ed. Chicago : Irwin, 2006

Catāleg UB  Enllaç

CASTELLS, Antoni. Hacienda autonómica : una perspectiva de federalismo fiscal. Barcelona : Ariel, 1988

Catāleg UB  Enllaç

MONASTERIO ESCUDERO, Carlos; SUÁREZ-PANDIELLO, Javier. Manual de hacienda autonomica y local. 2a ed. Barcelona : Ariel, 1998

Catāleg UB  Enllaç

ANDERSON, George. Introducció al federalisme fiscal : una anàlisi comparativa. Barcelona : Generalitat de Catalunya. Departament d’Interior, Relacions Institucionals i Participació. Institut d’Estudis Autonòmics, 2010

Catāleg UB  Enllaç

BASSOLS I SANTAMARIA, Montserrat; BOSCH, Nuria.; VILALTA Maite. El model de finançament autonòmic de 2009: descripció i valoració. Barcelona : Generalitat de Catalunya. Departament d’Economia i Finances, 2010

Catāleg UB  Enllaç

LEÓN, Sandra. (coord.) La financiación autonómica : claves para entender un (interminable) debate. Madrid : Alianza, 2015

Catāleg UB  Enllaç

VILALTA, Maite. (ed.) Autonomía y equidad en la financiación municipal: dos principios compatibles. Barcelona : Publicacions i Edicions de la Universitat de Barcelona, 2015.

Catāleg UB  Enllaç

Stiglitz, J.E. (2000) v. castellana 2006, La Economía del Sector Público, Antoni Bosch editor

Catāleg UB  Enllaç

Castells, A. (coord): Conseqüències econòmiques i financeres dels diferents escenaris de la relació Catalunya-Espanya. Col·lecció Institut d’Estudis de l’Autogovern, 12; Barcelona, 2021.

Catāleg UB  Enllaç