Philippines Archives – Decentralization Net

Policy lending as a tool to help local governments deliver better services

July 25, 2026 LPS Alliance

Decentralization can expand access to schools, clinics, and clean water—but only if local governments have clear rules, funding, and skills. Well‑designed policy‑based lending can help close these gaps. Across Asia and the Pacific, development is […]

Announcing the winners of the Outstanding Decentralization Paper Awards for the Asia Region (2021/22)

September 12, 2021 LPS Alliance

As part of the Local Public Sector Alliance’s efforts to promote high-quality, policy-relevant research on issues related to decentralization and local development around the world, the Alliance is offering a number of awards for outstanding […]

Deepening Decentralization within Centrally Led States: The Direction of Local Governance Reforms in Southeast Asia

August 24, 2021 LPS Alliance

While the countries of Southeast Asia are a heterogeneous bunch, a common element among them has been the emerging importance of decentralized governance. A flagship 2005 World Bank report–East Asia Decentralizes, Making Local Government Work–identified […]

Is the Mandanas ruling an opportunity to reform local government system in the Philippines?

July 22, 2021 LPS Alliance

After three decades of decentralization, Philippine local government units (LGUs) still face challenges in delivering basic services devolved to them with the passing of the Local Government Code of 1991. Despite of the enactment of […]

Changes to the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) in the Philippines

September 16, 2020 LPS Alliance

In 2019, the Supreme Court of the Philippines ruled with finality on separate petitions filed by Batangas Governor Herminaldo Mandanas and Bataan Governor Enrique Garcia regarding the share of local government units (LGUs) in national […]

The next wave of decentralization

April 7, 2019 LPS Alliance

Decentralization is a loaded term. It is often mischaracterized as the solution, as opposed to a complex and dynamic multivariate element within the landscape of the social contract. Permutations can be either liberating or deleterious, […]

The Rocky Road to Federation in the Philippines

November 27, 2015 LPS Initiative

Federalism is a buzzword in the Philippines these days. A former chief justice of the Supreme Court, Reynato Puno, recently launched a highly publicised national renewal movement, Bagong Sistema, Bagong Pag-asa (New System, New Hope), […]

A Comparative Overview of Local Governance Systems

October 4, 2015 LPS Alliance

The mission of the Local Public Sector Initiative is to advance the global development community’s understanding of the role of the local public sector in achieving inclusive and sustainable development. In line with this mission, […]

Local Government Discretion and Accountability

July 30, 2015 LPS Alliance

Decentralization reforms and local democratic governance have attracted significant attention as a way to promote good governance and accountability at the local level. Established theories in economics and political science have articulated the efficiency and accountability gains […]

A Comparative Review of Village Governance in Cambodia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines

July 22, 2015 LPS Alliance

Although villages are rarely the local government level that is assigned the responsibility for delivering key local services (such as education or health services), village governments nonetheless play an important role in the local government […]