Browsing by Author "Kelly, R"

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    Biomass offsets little or none of permafrost carbon release from soils, streams, and wildfire: An expert assessment
    (Environmental Research Letters, 2016-03-07) Abbott, BW; Jones, JB; Schuur, EAG; Chapin, FS; Bowden, WB; Bret-Harte, MS; Epstein, HE; Flannigan, MD; Harms, TK; Hollingsworth, TN; Mack, MC; McGuire, AD; Natali, SM; Rocha, AV; Tank, SE; Turetsky, MR; Vonk, JE; Wickland, KP; Aiken, GR; Alexander, HD; Amon, RMW; Benscoter, BW; Bergeron, Y; Bishop, K; Blarquez, O; Bond-Lamberty, B; Breen, AL; Buffam, I; Cai, Y; Carcaillet, C; Carey, SK; Chen, JM; Chen, HYH; Christensen, TR; Cooper, LW; Cornelissen, JHC; De Groot, WJ; Deluca, TH; Dorrepaal, E; Fetcher, N; Finlay, JC; Forbes, BC; French, NHF; Gauthier, S; Girardin, MP; Goetz, SJ; Goldammer, JG; Gough, L; Grogan, P; Guo, L; Higuera, PE; Hinzman, L; Hu, FS; Hugelius, G; Jafarov, EE; Jandt, R; Johnstone, JF; Karlsson, J; Kasischke, ES; Kattner, G; Kelly, R; Keuper, F; Kling, GW; Kortelainen, P; Kouki, J; Kuhry, P; Laudon, H; Laurion, I; MacDonald, RW; Mann, PJ; Martikainen, PJ; McClelland, JW; Molau, U; Oberbauer, SF; Olefeldt, D; Paré, D; Parisien, MA; Payette, S; Peng, C; Pokrovsky, OS; Rastetter, EB; Raymond, PA; Raynolds, MK; Rein, G; Reynolds, JF; Robards, M; Rogers, BM; Schdel, C; Schaefer, K; Schmidt, IK; Shvidenko, A; Sky, J; Spencer, RGM; Starr, G; Striegl, RG; Teisserenc, R; Tranvik, LJ; Virtanen, T; Welker, JM; Zimov, S
    As the permafrost region warms, its large organic carbon pool will be increasingly vulnerable to decomposition, combustion, and hydrologic export. Models predict that some portion of this release will be offset by increased production of Arctic and boreal biomass; however, the lack of robust estimates of net carbon balance increases the risk of further overshooting international emissions targets. Precise empirical or model-based assessments of the critical factors driving carbon balance are unlikely in the near future, so to address this gap, we present estimates from 98 permafrost-region experts of the response of biomass, wildfire, and hydrologic carbon flux to climate change. Results suggest that contrary to model projections, total permafrost-region biomass could decrease due to water stress and disturbance, factors that are not adequately incorporated in current models. Assessments indicate that end-of-the-century organic carbon release from Arctic rivers and collapsing coastlines could increase by 75% while carbon loss via burning could increase four-fold. Experts identified water balance, shifts in vegetation community, and permafrost degradation as the key sources of uncertainty in predicting future system response. In combination with previous findings, results suggest the permafrost region will become a carbon source to the atmosphere by 2100 regardless of warming scenario but that 65%-85% of permafrost carbon release can still be avoided if human emissions are actively reduced.
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    Conditions for Improving the Property Tax in the Bahamas: Final Report
    (Conditions for Improving the Property Tax in the Bahamas: Final Report, 2011) Kelly, R; Glenday, G; Forde, Wayne
    The Commonwealth of the Bahamas has translated sound economic management, political stability and close proximity to the world’s largest consumer market into steady growth and high levels of per capita income. Real annual economic growth has averaged about 1.3% over the past two decades with a strong growth spurt of 4.6% during 1993-99. Per capita income is currently about B$21,500 and over $25,000 in purchasing power parity terms, which makes it the highest amongst the Caribbean economies. Despite achieving growth and high levels of per capita income, the Government of the Bahamas (GoB) faces fiscal challenges to contain public debt while sustaining public services to support growth and development. These fiscal challenges are arising from (1) the negative impact of the 2008-09 recession on revenues combined with increased stimulus expenditures, (2) a narrow and volatile tax base combined with a need to modernize and strengthen its revenue administration and (3) policy objective of joining WTO has implications for reducing import duty rates and for non-discrimination in tax policy This report addresses options for improving the fiscal balance in the short and medium terms with a particular focus on the reform of the property tax system and its potential revenue contribution. The report (1) presents an overview and performance of the revenue base of the Bahamas exploring the nature and seriousness of the emerging public debt build up; (2) analyzes the existing tax structures and reforms presenting policy and administrative recommendations for improving revenue yield; (3) analyzes property tax policies and administration to identify recommendations for improving property tax revenue yield, equity and efficiency in the Bahamas.
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    Financing Sustainable Urbanization in Sri Lanka
    (The Sri Lankan Economy Charting A New Course, 2017) Kelly, R; Gunawardena, Asoka S
    Urbanization and cities are expected to play an important role in Sri Lanka’s ongoing transition to become an upper middle-income country. Theory and international experience have long recognized urban areas as important engines of economic growth—providing the benefits of urban agglomeration efficiencies; stimulating gains in productivity and competitiveness; providing markets for goods and services; and generating opportunities for knowledge creation, innovation, and specialization of production and services. The authors argue that mobilizing financial resources is critical to ensuring sustainable urbanization. Financing instruments are needed to raise the upfront costs to build urban infrastructure, and the underlying funding instruments are critical to provide (1) the stream of revenues needed to deliver current urban services, and (2) the funding leverage needed to mobilize the upfront infrastructure financing while protecting environmental amenities. Mobilizing these funding and financing resources requires a coordinated approach involving central and local-level governments, development partners, and the private sector. Specifically, the Sri Lankan government has an ambitious urbanization plan. Major challenges are to be expected in planning, financing, and governance of economic agglomerations and creating city–region linkages that will be socially and environmentally sustainable. The Western Region Megapolis Project alone, for example, is estimated to cost over $40 billion, roughly 50% of Sri Lanka’s GDP in 2015. To date, Sri Lanka has relied on central government investment, often with the assistance of international financial institutions, to finance large-scale urban infrastructure. As these traditional approaches may not generate sufficient funds, the authors argue that the government will need to build long-term partnerships with the private sector, while recognizing the need to enhance the capacities of provincial and local level authorities to play a stronger partnership role in urban development planning and service delivery. Such changes call for (1) resetting the intergovernmental fiscal framework to enable the plans, (2) operationalizing a spatial planning and coordination framework, and (3) institutionalizing a governance framework for urbanization. The authors then provide a detailed set of specific policy recommendations under each broad grouping, with particular focus on the enhancing policy capacity.
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    Stock Taking of Fiscal Decentralization Policies (Nepal): Consolidated Report
    (2011) Kelly, R
    With funding from the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), the Local Bodies Fiscal Commission (LBFC) launched this study to shed light on the state of fiscal decentralization as originally intended under the Nepal Local Self Governance Act, identify lessons learned and suggest opportunities for ensuring successful fiscal decentralization policies and transition measures to the governance structures anticipated under the new constitution. This study highlights the extent to which the local bodies are exercising the fiscal decentralization provisions provided under the LSGA and identifies key recommendations needed to facilitate the effective transition with regards to fiscal decentralization from the current unitary government structure to the expected devolved federal government structure under the new constitution. The study lays the foundation for further detailed work on the functional analysis of sub-national expenditure and revenue responsibilities which will be closely aligned with the work undertaken by the Administrative Restructuring Commission (ARC).
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    Strengthening the Revenue Side
    (Fiscal Decentralization in Indonesia a Decade after Big Bang, 2012) Kelly, R
    This chapter focuses on the theory and practice of allocating revenues across levels of government, and the administration of local revenues, with particular attention on the property tax as the primary source of potential and sustainable LG revenues. The paper is divided into five sections. Following the introduction, section 2 outlines the theory and practice of revenue allocation across government levels and examines various ways of structuring revenues to support local autonomy and fiscal decentralization. Section 3 focuses on the Indonesian reform experience in structuring its local own revenue system. Section 4 examines the property tax devolution process in Indonesia under Law No. 28 (2009). Section 5 concludes with recommendations for the way forward.