While many scholars, policymakers, and development practitioners view decentralization as a way to increase participation, strengthen political representation, and improve social welfare, little is known about the experiences of communities in the context of decentralization – particularly in the Middle East and North Africa.
A recent open access e-book–Decentralization, Local Governance, and Inequality in the Middle East and North Africa, edited by Kristen Kao and Ellen Lust—directs our attention toward the ways in which decentralization is “lived locally” by citizens of the MENA region, underscoring the simultaneous influences of individual-level factors (e.g., gender, education) and local context (e.g., development levels, electoral institutions) on governance processes and outcomes.
A group of international scholars brings together methodologically diverse, original research in Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, and Tunisia to expand the literature on decentralization.
Following a preface by Hicham Alaoui, the empirical chapters are arranged into three thematic sections. These focus on subnational variations in the relationships between central and local actors, citizen engagement with state and non-state institutions, and the extent to which representatives reflect their local communities.
Together, these chapters provide important insights into governance, participation, and representation in the MENA and open new questions for furthering the study of governance and local development. Only by unpacking perspectives and governance experiences at the micro-level can we understand how decentralization policies affect citizens’ everyday lives.
| Contents Introduction: Decentralization and Local Governance Decentralization 1. Municipal Boundaries and the Politics of Space 2. Continuities and Ruptures in Local Governance in Daraa, Syria Participation 3. Citizen Petitions to Moroccan Municipalities 4. Local Elections and Service Provision under Lebanon’s Postwar Party Cartel 5. How Gender and Local State Capacity Shape Citizens’ Use of the Mosque Representation 6. Success Beyond Gender Quotas 7. Local Political Priorities during Tunisia’s First Democratic Municipal Elections 8. Beards, Mustaches, and Power Conclusion: Decentralization in the Middle East and North Africa |
Follow the link to read the open access publication:
Kristen Kao and Ellen Lust, eds. 2025. Decentralization, Local Governance, and Inequality In the Middle East and North Africa. E-book, Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press. https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.14328063.
