User talk:Cherrybeach/Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance

The Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance (IMFG) is a research centre and think tank based in the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto.

IMFG focuses on the fiscal health and governance challenges facing large cities and city-regions. As both academic research hub and non-partisan think tank, IMFG’s objective is to spark and inform public dialogue and engage the academic and policy communities around important issues of municipal finance and governance.

The Institute conducts original research on issues facing cities in Canada and around the world; promotes high-level discussion among Canada’s government, academic, corporate and community leaders through conferences and roundtables; and supports graduate and post-graduate students to build Canada’s cadre of municipal finance and governance experts. It is the only institute in Canada that focuses solely on municipal finance issues in large cities and city-regions.

IMFG disseminates its research findings through academic publications, reports and events featuring the world's leading scholars and professionals in the fields of municipal finance and governance. Recent high-profile speakers have included Richard Katz, chair of  Metrolink and public appointee to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority; Joseph Pennachetti, Toronto city manager; and Edward Uhlir, project manager for  Chicago's Millennium Park.

IMFG Papers
The IMFG Papers series is designed to disseminate research that is being undertaken in academic circles in Canada and abroad on municipal finance and governance issues. The series, which includes papers by Canadian and international scholars, is intended to inform the debate on important issues in large cities and city-regions.

The Papers have examined trends in local finance, the property tax – in theory and practice, financing large cities and metropolitan areas, and the impacts of business property tax reforms. The series has also included a number of international research papers, exploring revenue diversification in American cities, property tax reform in Vietnam, subnational taxation in large emerging countries, municipal finance in Nordic cities, and urban finance and governance in India.

Fellowships
IMFG offers two graduate fellowships in municipal finance and governance: the IMFG Graduate Fellowship and the Blanche and Sandy Van Ginkel Fellowship. Both fellowships are offered annually to full-time graduate students who are enrolled at the University of Toronto and engaged in studies related to municipal finance or governance. The fellowships provide an important link between IMFG’s educational mission and its research objectives by supporting students who are entering this field.

IMFG also offers a one-year Post-Doctoral Fellowship. Fellows are part of a vibrant community of faculty, post-doctoral researchers and students, and have the opportunity to participate in the intellectual life of the Munk School and larger University of Toronto community during the academic year.