Middle East & North Africa Archives

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[ February 27, 2026 ] Rethinking the Future of Decentralization and Multilevel Governance Community
[ February 26, 2026 ] LPSA convenes in New York to shape its strategic direction Community
[ February 17, 2026 ] Reimagining democracy from the ground up Decentralization
[ February 17, 2026 ] Local public finances and the SDGs: How are European cities rewiring budgeting for a sustainable future? Cities and urban development
[ February 8, 2026 ] How India’s Sixteenth Finance Commission chose stability over disruption Asia

From decentralization to recentralization in Turkey

September 22, 2025 LPS Alliance

When the Turkish Justice and Development Party (AKP) swept into power in 2002, it promised to loosen the rigid centralism that had long defined the Turkish state. In its first years, the party advanced decentralizing […]

Syria’s new leaders reject demands for federalism and regional autonomy

April 29, 2025 LPS Alliance

Syria’s Islamist leaders said this week on Sunday that Kurdish demands for the country to adopt a decentralized system of government in a post-Assad political order posed a threat to national unity. “We clearly reject […]

Decentralization, local governance, and inequality in the Middle East and North Africa

March 7, 2025 LPS Alliance

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 […]

What is next for Syria? Decentralization?

December 8, 2024 LPS Alliance

Given the recent developments in Syria, which saw the demise of an authoritarian regime that ruled the country for over half a century, the role of federalism and decentralization in Syria’s future is a topic of […]

Decarbonization and political transformation in Iraq

May 11, 2023 LPS Alliance

What happens when a petrostate loses its oil rents? While the oil market continues to go through boom-and-bust cycles, cases such as Iraq provide evidence of how the rapid loss of oil revenues—traumatic decarbonization—may affect […]

The Dynamics of Decentralization in the MENA: Processes, Outcomes, and Obstacles

May 10, 2022 LPSAManager

In March 2020, the Program on Governance and Local Development at the University of Gothenburg brought together decentralization scholars from around the MENA region. The discussions focused around the design of decentralization reforms, obstacles, progress […]

Knowledge sharing on decentralization and local development in the MENA Region: A recap

April 19, 2022 LPSAManager

As part of the global webinar series on decentralization and local development around the world, the Local Public Sector Alliance (LPSA) hosted the ”Decentralization and Local Development in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) […]

Comparative analysis of subnational governance in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

December 21, 2021 LPS Alliance

A recent desk study prepared for USAID analyzes the extent to which governance is decentralized in law and practice in nine Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries—Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, […]

Webinar: A comparative analysis of decentralization and subnational governance in MENA

November 14, 2021 LPS Alliance

Several MENA countries have made decentralization gains, particularly since the Arab Spring. However, these gains have been partial, incomplete, and limited by regime security and patronage concerns. A recent study analyzes the extent to which […]

Decentralization and Local Development in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA)

November 14, 2021 LPS Alliance

Effective decentralization and localization—including subnational governance systems that empower and encourage local leaders to promote inclusion and equity—form an important precondition for resilient, inclusive, sustainable, equitable and efficient development. The Local Public Sector Alliance is […]