Information Resolution, Information Content, and City Debt

Abstract

This chapter furthers an understanding of how information resolution relates to borrowing and debt composition at the city level. The study examines the role of credit ratings, as well as the key informational components of credit quality, for city borrowing levels and debt structure. The informational components of credit quality include economic, fiscal, debt and financial, and governance factors. This chapter evaluates city debt for the largest cities in select countries with SNG market activity across the globe by asking: What debt levels do cities have, and what is the composition of that debt? How does information resolution, both information resolution institutions and the underlying components of credit quality information assessment, influence subnational-level borrowing?