Decentralization Archives – Decentralization Net

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[ February 8, 2026 ] How India’s Sixteenth Finance Commission chose stability over disruption Asia
[ February 4, 2026 ] Leadership transition at the Local Public Sector Alliance Local Public Sector Alliance
[ January 31, 2026 ] Devolved health services in Kenya: Access, efficiency, and the unfinished business of devolution Africa
[ January 27, 2026 ] Introducing LPSA’s Monday Minute Community
[ January 26, 2026 ] Can federalism constrain authoritarianism? Decentralization

How India’s Sixteenth Finance Commission chose stability over disruption

February 8, 2026 LPS Alliance

The Finance Commission of India (FC) is one of India’s most credible institutions. It is a constitutional body whose function is to make recommendations to the Government of India on how to divide tax revenues […]

Can federalism constrain authoritarianism?

January 26, 2026 LPS Alliance

Across the globe, democratic backsliding increasingly originates not from military coups or constitutional breakdowns, but from elected executives who concentrate power from within the system. Courts are packed, legislatures sidelined, and independent agencies weakened—often through […]

How intergovernmental fiscal transfers shape local democracy

January 19, 2026 LPS Alliance

Intergovernmental fiscal transfers are among the most powerful, and least visible, instruments in multilevel governance systems. They shape how resources flow across levels of government, determine the fiscal space available to local authorities, and influence […]

Multi-Level Governance in the Western Balkans

January 12, 2026 Marina Jandrevska

Multi-level governance (MLG) in the Western Balkans has made notable progress over the past decade, with administrations aligning institutional and legal frameworks to European principles and strengthening the role of local governments in democratic governance […]

Conditional grants and the hidden politics of fiscal decentralization

December 19, 2025 LPS Alliance

In discussions on fiscal decentralization, conditional grants are often treated as a technical detail rather than a central feature of multilevel governance. Much of the debate focuses on revenue assignments, own-source taxation, or unconditional transfers, […]

Nearby solutions: The role of regional and local governments in Latin America

December 18, 2025 Limabenla Jamir

The decentralization process over the past four decades in Latin America and the Caribbean has strengthened the role of local and regional governments, yet systematic knowledge of their functions, resources, and service delivery remains limited. […]

Gen Z protests and the case for inclusive and effective multilevel governance

December 4, 2025 LPS Alliance

Over the past several years, countries across different parts of the world—including Africa, South Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America—have experienced a surge of youth-led protest movements often referred to as “Gen Z […]

Local governments as engines of citizen engagement in Africa

December 1, 2025 LPS Alliance

Afrobarometer’s African Insights 2025 report offers a rich and timely window into how citizens across the continent are engaging in public life, making demands on their leaders, and asserting democratic voice. While the report covers […]

What works better: elected leaders or appointed bureaucrats?

November 24, 2025 Limabenla Jamir

A long-running debate in decentralization circles asks whether local governments function better under elected leaders or appointed bureaucrats. Advocates of political decentralization emphasize accountability, community voice, and responsiveness, while supporters of technocratic administration highlight expertise, […]

Decentralization and its financing in Togo

November 21, 2025 LPS Alliance

Togo’s decentralization journey has been long, uneven, and politically complex. Yet in recent years—especially since the landmark municipal elections of 2019 and the regional elections of 2024—the country has taken meaningful steps toward establishing a […]