Journal of Law, Justice & Public Governance (DJG)

DJG is an open access scholarly journal published by Presses universitaires de l’Institut Universitaire des Sciences (P‑IUS). Semi‑annual journal (2 issues per year). It publishes original peer‑reviewed research, thematic issues, and may also accept scholarly monographs and edited volumes.

Submit Article

Chapter 1. Classical Theories of the Financial Health of Local Authorities

Authors

  • Christophe Providence

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.66860/djg.v.i.38

Keywords:

Financial health, Local finances, Indicators, OECD, Standardization, Situated assessment

Abstract

This chapter provides a critical review of the dominant approaches to local financial health (viability, solvency, sustainability) and the performance indicators used in OECD countries. It shows how technocratic standardization tends to obscure power relations, territorial inequalities, and the institutional conditions under which figures are produced. By deconstructing the universalization of fiscal models, the chapter argues for a situated assessment, attentive to structural asymmetries and the political uses of budgetary instruments, in order to prepare for a cautious transposition to fragile contexts.

Author Biography

Christophe Providence

Christophe Providence is a professor at the University Institute of Sciences (IUS) in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. His research focuses on public governance, local government finance, policy evaluation, and decentralization reforms in fragile contexts. This book is part of an applied research and strategic management approach for local authorities, linked to the activities of the IUS's Center for Scientific Research (CRS).

References

Downloads

Published

2026-05-09

Issue

2026: Local Finances in a Fragile State: Measuring, Understanding, Reforming (Academic Book) - Professor Christophe Providence

Section

Articles