In this study, the features of fiscal decentralization in five such nations – Brazil, China, Indonesia, Russia, and South Africa – are surveyed, with a view to summarize the essentials of the groups of characteristics that are common to all structures of fiscal federalism. These include assignment of functional responsibilities, fiscal imbalances, intergovernmental transfers to resolve the imbalances, and sub-national borrowing. In addition, these surveys also consider the role of sub-national governments in macroeconomic stabilization in the context of the recent past – during and after the global financial crisis.