As part of its ongoing effort to promote high-quality, policy-relevant research on issues related to decentralization and local development around the world, the Local Public Sector Alliance is offering a number of awards for outstanding papers on decentralization and local development. Although the award is open to all, the award is targeted at young scholars and emerging researchers from around the world.
For each global region, a US$ 500 prize will be awarded to the regional winner, while US$ 250 will be awarded to two regional runners-up. From among the regional winners, the global winner will be selected. The author of the Global Outstanding Paper will receive a total award of US$ 1000.
The awards are open to recent research papers (whether unpublished, working papers or published) covering a range of fields and topics related to decentralization and local development, including—for instance—research studies related to the inclusive and responsive nature of local governments, different aspects of administrative decentralization, or intergovernmental fiscal relations and local finance; studies analyzing multi-level governance arrangements or functional assignments; or studies related to the vertical or intergovernmental aspects of public service delivery efficiency or the localization of sustainable development in one or more sectors (e.g., education, health, water and sanitation, climate, urban services, and so on). Papers are generally expected to focus on a single country, although comparative studies will also be accepted.
The Local Public Sector Alliance / Decentralization.Net’s editors and editorial board members will select the best papers from those submitted prior to the deadline. (regions and deadlines below). The winners are generally asked to present their work as part of the Local Public Sector Alliance’s global webinar series.
In selecting the winner, the editors will reflect on the Local Public Sector Alliance’s vision and mission to promote inclusive, equitable societies and sustainable global development by enhancing the understanding of decentralization and localization as complex, cross-cutting and multi-stakeholder reforms. The assessment of submissions will take into consideration the technical quality of the research and the policy-relevance of the paper’s topic and findings. It will further consider whether the author(s) is/are young scholars/emerging researchers as well as take into account factors such as clarity of presentation, innovation, and the paper’s potential significance to the policy and research community.
| Global region | Submission deadline |
|---|---|
| Asia (covering South Asia and East Asia & Pacific) | Deadline: August 15,2021 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | Deadline: November 7, 2021 |
| Middle East & North Africa | Deadline: February 6, 2022 |
| Latin American & Caribbean | Deadline: June 24, 2022 |
| Eastern Europe and Central Asia | Deadline: October 14, 2022 [Updated] |
Download the Outstanding Paper Award Application Form: Word / PDF.
Please note that submissions for this award are no longer being accepted.
Note: For the regional award rounds in 2022, only one submission per (co-)author will be accepted. When fewer than five submissions are received for a regional award, no runner-up cash prizes will be awarded (12/4/2021). Post updated August 29, 2022.
