News – Decentralization Net

Decentralized responsibilities without decentralized resources?

April 10, 2026 Marina Jandrevska

The role of local governments in European public service delivery has expanded significantly over the past two decades. Across the European Union, municipalities have become central actors in the provision of education, healthcare, social protection, […]

Expanding property taxation in customary areas in Africa

April 10, 2026 Marina Jandrevska

Property taxation is widely recognized as a cornerstone of subnational finance and a key enabler of effective decentralization worldwide. It has recently gained increased attention across African countries. Yet, it remains one of the most […]

Decentralization under pressure: lessons from Germany’s long-term support in Africa

April 7, 2026 LPS Alliance

Decentralization has been a central pillar of governance reform across Africa for more than three decades. It has been pursued as a means to improve service delivery, to strengthen accountability, and to bring government closer […]

How can property taxes drive subnational development?

March 11, 2026 Marina Jandrevska

Cities are the engines of economic growth. Yet subnational governments, particularly in lower-income countries, continue to face severe and persistent challenges in service delivery and infrastructure. Strengthening local governments is therefore vital for improving state-building […]

An inflection point in South Africa’s local government reform?

March 3, 2026 LPS Alliance

South Africa’s system of local government is at a critical juncture. Nearly three decades after the advent of democratic local governance, the country has built a comprehensive municipal system and expanded access to basic services. […]

Rethinking the Future of Decentralization and Multilevel Governance

February 27, 2026 LPSAManager

The Local Public Sector Alliance (LPSA) in partnership with a strong coalition of partners – including the Forum of Federations, NYU’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, NYU Center on International Cooperation (CIC), the Commonwealth […]

LPSA convenes in New York to shape its strategic direction

February 26, 2026 LPS Alliance

Yesterday, Wednesday, February 25, 2026, the Board of Directors, Global Secretariat, and Advisory Board of the Local Public Sector Alliance (LPSA) met in person for the first time in the organization’s history at NYU’s Wagner […]

Reimagining democracy from the ground up

February 17, 2026 Limabenla Jamir

In their newly-published open access volume, Citizen Participation in Local Governance: An Urban–Rural Perspective (Springer, 2026), Karl Kössler and Eva Schläppi bring together insights from 18 partner institutions across six continents to examine one of […]

Local public finances and the SDGs: How are European cities rewiring budgeting for a sustainable future?

February 17, 2026 Marina Jandrevska

As the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) approaches, the global community faces a sobering reality: only 18% of targets are currently on track. While political commitment to the 2030 Agenda remains strong, […]

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 […]