Fiscal decentralisation, efficiency, and growth

Much of the recent worldwide trend towards devolution has been driven by the belief that fiscal decentralization is likely to have a positive effect on government efficiency and economic growth. It is generally assumed that the transfer of powers and resources to lower tiers of government allows for a better matching of public policies to local needs and thus for a better allocation of resources. These factors, in turn, are expected to lead to an improvement in regional economic performance, if subnational authorities shift resources from current to capital expenditures in search of a better response to local needs. This paper tests these assumptions empirically by analysing the evolution of subnational expenditure categories and regional growth in Germany, India, Mexico, Spain, and the USA. We find that, contrary to expectations, decentralisation has coincided in the sample countries with a relative increase in current expenditures at the expense of capital expenditures, which has been associated with lower levels of economic growth in countries where devolution has been driven from above (India and Mexico), but not in those where it has been driven from below (Spain). The paper hypothesises that the differences in legitimacy between the central or federal government and subnational governments in top-down and bottom-up processes of devolution may be at the origin of the diverse capacity to deliver greater allocative and productive efficiency and, eventually, greater economic growth by devolved governments.devolution; fiscal decentralisation; subnational expenditure; economic growth; Germany; India; Mexico; Spain; United States

Once-Weekly Insulin Efsitora Alfa Versus Once Daily Insulin in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

\ua9 2025 The Author(s). Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Background: Once-daily basal insulin is widely used in the management of type 2 diabetes, but poor adherence to daily injections often impairs glycaemic control. Once-weekly efsitora alfa may overcome these limitations, but pooled data assessing its comparative efficacy and safety remain limited. Methods: PubMed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library were searched up to July 2025 for RCTs comparing once-weekly efsitora with once daily insulin in adults with T2D. Weighted mean differences (MDs), odds ratios (ORs), and risk ratios (RRs) were pooled using a random-effects model, and results were reported with 95% confidence intervals. Results: Six RCTs comprising 3967 participants were included. There were no significant differences between once-weekly efsitora and daily insulin in change in HbA1c (MD –0.04; 95% CI –0.10 to 0.02; p = 0.15), change in fasting plasma glucose (MD 1.94 mg/dL; 95% CI –2.98 to 6.86; p = 0.44), proportion of patients achieving HbA1c < 7%, change in body weight, or time below range. Efsitora was associated with an increase in time in range (MD 0.80 percentage points; 95% CI 0.09 to 1.52; p = 0.03) and a reduction in time above range (MD –1.45 percentage points; 95% CI –2.87 to −0.02; p = 0.05). The risk of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) was higher with efsitora (RR 1.13; 95% CI 1.05 to 1.20; p = 0.0004), whereas serious adverse events, hypersensitivity reactions, injection-site reactions, and hypoglycaemia events were comparable between the two groups. Conclusion: Once-weekly efsitora provides comparable glycaemic control and improved time-in-range compared to daily insulin, although with a higher rate of TEAEs

E-government clusters: from framework to implementation

The concept of industrial clusters has received much attention in the literature over the past few decades and many examples of clusters exist today in a variety of industries, from manufacturing to services. Within such clusters, competitive cost and innovation advantages are generated through co-location. Very recently several examples of e-government clusters have emerged. This chapter offers a conceptualization of what an e-government cluster is, and how it may be different from other industrial clusters. This chapter is an attempt to formulate a framework for e-government clusters and bring out the necessary conditions for policy decisions to support the creation of such a cluster. An attempt has also been made to validate the proposed framework on the basis of case studies and to derive some recommendations to sustain the operation of e-government clusters

Exploring the art of screen printing asphaltum for etching on medals and trophies for the indigenous metal art industry

Etching remains a primeval craft used to produce interesting images on metal surfaces. The mode of applying resists onto these surfaces presents a challenge for metalsmiths in the indigenous metal art industry to achieve accuracy, precision and details. Recent studies have outlined improved resist application methods developed in the industrial sector as compared to the indigenous metal art industry. This studio practice research explores screen printing as an alternative method to print asphaltum onto metal surfaces for etching. Experimentation at the studio and chemistry laboratory aided in achieving the preparatory stages or variables like ideal consistency of the resist, ratio of acid to water for etching, the mesh count for screen printing the resist and the best squeegee type to use. Relevant results from the studio experiments proved the possibility of screen printing asphaltum which match the viscosity of toothpaste onto the surface of a metal for etching

The dark side of Galamsey: Portraying the effects of Galamsey on the environment using metal sculpture

Illegal small-scale mining popularly referred to in Ghana as ‘Galamsey’ has been a serious menace to the society and the environment. Since gold is one of the most valuable natural mineral resources in the country, and legal mining is accompanied by a lot of rules and regulations, a lot of individuals in a bid to get rich quick find dubious means to dig for it. The media houses have stressed the effects of galamsey on the environment. However, it has not made much impact. This paper focused on constructing a metal sculpture to depict the negative effect of galamsey on the environment. It, therefore, adopts the arc welding technique by using metals and scraps to create a conceptual metal sculpture to educate the public about the effects of Galamsey on the environment. Studio-based research method was used for the study. The project was successful and the results were analyzed under the social, philosophical, artistic and intellectual contexts. The finished work was titled “Ɛnkum yƐn wiasi”, an Akan expression which means “Don’t kill Our World