Middle East & North Africa Archives

Latest

[ July 11, 2026 ] Is there an economic payoff from creating new local governments? Evidence from Brazil Brazil
[ July 8, 2026 ] Property tax in Europe: a changing landscape Decentralization
[ July 6, 2026 ] Realizing the Jobs Potential of MENA’s Cities Cities and urban development
[ July 2, 2026 ] A new frontier for development cooperation: From localizing development to leveraging multilevel governance Community
[ June 11, 2026 ] Vietnam’s ambitious subnational governance restructuring Asia

Realizing the Jobs Potential of MENA’s Cities

July 6, 2026 LPS Alliance

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region faces one of the world’s most pressing employment challenges. While national economic reforms remain essential, a new World Bank report argues that the region’s cities—not just national […]

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 […]

Middle East & North Africa