IDEAGOV International Conference 2026 brings together leading scholars to discuss fiscal equalization and decentralized governance
Over two days, on 4–5 November 2026, the IDEAGOV International Conference 2026 – Equalization in Decentralized Governance brought together international researchers and experts at the Consello Económico e Social de Galicia (CES) in Santiago de Compostela to examine the economic, political and institutional dimensions of fiscal equalization.
Organized by IDEAGOV and the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC), in collaboration with the Universitat Pompeu Fabra and Georgia State University, the conference provided an international forum for comparative research on fiscal equalization, interregional redistribution, decentralisation, regional convergence and multilevel governance.
The opening session featured institutional remarks from Rosa M. Crujeiras Casais, Rectora of the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela; Ignacio Lago, from Universitat Pompeu Fabra; and Santiago Lago-Peñas, from the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Their contributions opened two days of academic exchange on the role of equalization in addressing territorial disparities while preserving regional and local autonomy.
Across the different sessions, researchers from universities and international institutions in Europe, North America, Latin America and Africa examined equalization from a wide range of theoretical and empirical perspectives, addressing:
Political support for interregional redistribution and fiscal equalization.
The relationship between devolution, territorial autonomy and regional inequality.
The impact of intergovernmental grants on local public spending.
The links between decentralisation, regional growth and economic convergence.
Fiscal stabilization and the political stability of decentralized systems.
The importance of administrative capacity in transforming transfers into effective public policies.
Comparative experiences from Spain, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Colombia and South Africa, alongside broader evidence from OECD regions and the European Union.
The discussions highlighted a central conclusion: redistributing fiscal resources does not automatically produce regional convergence, territorial cohesion or more effective public services. Although equalization can reduce disparities in the resources available to subnational governments, its outcomes also depend on the design of transfer systems, institutional quality, governance and administrative capacity, political incentives and the particular circumstances of each territory.
Participants also emphasized the distinction between formal and effective autonomy. Regional and local governments may receive comparable powers or financial resources while having very different capacities to exercise those responsibilities and translate funding into public action. Equalization must therefore be considered not only as a financial mechanism, but also as part of a broader institutional framework that combines solidarity, autonomy, accountability and implementation capacity.
The international comparison revealed both the diversity of equalization arrangements and the challenges shared by decentralized systems. The contributions showed that there is no single institutional model capable of responding to every form of territorial disparity. Effective mechanisms must be adapted to national and subnational contexts and supported by transparent rules, adequate administrative resources and appropriate safeguards.
The conference concluded by reaffirming the value of continued comparative research on fiscal federalism, territorial redistribution and multilevel governance. The meeting consolidated IDEAGOV as a forum for rigorous international dialogue and contributed to a deeper understanding of how decentralized systems can design equalization mechanisms that are fair, effective, sustainable and responsive to territorial diversity.
