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PHD STUDENT TO PRESENT MUNK SCHOOL SEMINAR

“Does local government autonomy promote fiscal sustainability? Lessons from Illinois’ home rule municipalities”

May 3, 2018  •  4:00–5:30 p.m.  •  Munk School of Global Affairs

Speaker: Doctoral student in economics Matthew Walshe is the recipient of the Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance’s Blanche and Sandy Van Ginkel Graduate Fellowship in Municipal Finance and Governance.

Illinois’ home rule municipalities enjoy some of the broadest discretionary authority of any local government in North America. According to Illinois’ 1970 Constitution, local officials in these jurisdictions are permitted to “exercise any power and perform any function pertaining to [their] government and affairs,” subject only to expressed limitations. This contrasts sharply with their non-home rule counterparts whose powers are limited to those expressly granted by state statute.

What are the consequences of home rule authority on fiscal sustainability? What lessons does this hold for Canadian municipalities? On May 3, IMFG Graduate Fellow Matthew Walshe will address these questions by analyzing the experience of over 50 cities and villages that adopted home rule within the past two decades.

Seating is limited for the event, and registration is required.
→ Register now