Community
Upcoming Course: Fiscal Decentralisation & Local Finance
Join us in The Hague for our course on Fiscal Decentalisation & Local Finance! […]
Local governance
Decentralization
Explainer: What is a local government and why does it matter?
Decentralization (or devolution, to be more precise) is sometimes defined as “the transfer of power, authority, and resources from the central government to local governments”. In other cases, decentralization has been defined as “the empowerment […]
Community
DCID’s Fiscal Decentralization Course 2023
After having being put on hold for several years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Duke University’s Center for International Development (DCID) has relaunched its in-person executive education training program on Fiscal Decentralization and Local Government […]
ADB
Decentralization, Local Governance, and Localizing the SDGs in Asia and the Pacific
Since its adoption in 2015, the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development has shaped not only international development cooperation but also the design of national trajectories for social and economic development. In tandem with other global […]
Decentralization
Territorial-Administrative Reform in the Republic of Moldova
In November 2022, the government of the Republic of Moldova, together with the Local Public Sector Alliance and UNDP organized an expert forum entitled “Territorial-Administrative Reform in the Republic of Moldova: National Proposals and Global […]
Albania
Local Government in Albania
The Association of Albanian Municipalities has been preparing the annual status report on municipalities and local developments for several years now. The Local Government in Albania Status Report for 2021 was released in May 2022. […]
Decentralization
Empowering local governments? Lessons learned from Haiti
The assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, and the political crisis that followed, have, understandably, attracted a lot of media attention. But for most Haitians, the dramatic developments in the capital city have less bearing on […]
Asia
Malaysia won’t have local government elections
Malaysia will not revive local government elections, as it would cost at least RM302 million nationwide and such elections for local councilors may not necessarily guarantee the provision of good service to the public, a […]
Afghanistan
Aiding Afghan Local Governance: What Went Wrong?
After twenty years of an ambitious, costly international state-building effort, the government of Afghanistan collapsed in the summer of 2021 in a matter of weeks. The Afghan security forces’ remarkably rapid defeat earned significant attention, […]
Brazil
Do Brazilian mayors use empirical research to make policy choices?
Decentralization can allow the public sector to be more inclusive and responsive, but only when local leaders make well-informed policy choices. This begs the question: what role can policy-effectiveness research play in spurring the spread […]