Political economy Archives – Decentralization Net

The implementation of decentralization reforms in multi-level systems

February 8, 2025 Limabenla Jamir

Decentralization is often viewed as a legal and constitutional process, but the reality is far more complex. In multi-level governance systems, the distribution of power between central and regional governments is not solely determined by […]

Coming soon: LPSA’s Thematic Working Group on Local Democracy

September 25, 2023 LPS Alliance

When a country is committed to inclusive governance, democracy, and community-led development, it will empower its citizens to address their collective challenges as close to the people as efficiently possible by empowering their local governments […]

It’s about time we reform local government. Or is it?

June 25, 2023 LPS Alliance

The British satire show Yes Minister, popular in the early 1980s, was unique in its display of the inner-workings of government. In the short clip below, Sir Humphrey Appleby (the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry […]

Does India love its local governments?

April 27, 2023 LPS Alliance

This year is the 30th anniversary of the passing of the 73rd and 74th Amendments. Indian governance was always overcentralized. But it is a sign of the times that even the modest steps these amendments […]

Towards a Decentralized Haitian State

July 30, 2022 LPS Alliance

Decentralization was a prominent theme throughout Haiti after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck near the capital in January 2010, killing up to 300,000 people in just 35 seconds, and again more recently in August 2021 […]

Iraq Faces Major Governance Challenges—Can Decentralization Help?

July 15, 2021 LPS Initiative

Over the last year Iraq’s economy has been in free fall, leading to a recent decision to devalue its currency, the dinar, by 23 percent. As the country deals with intersecting economic, political and security […]

Different perspectives on decentralization and localization in a stove-piped world

June 15, 2021 Jamie Boex

The study of decentralization and localization deals with how multi-level government systems work. The goal of most policy practitioner or researchers, however, is often not to study decentralization or localization for the sake of understanding […]

Istanbul Elections Suggest Cracks In Support For Ruling Party

June 23, 2019 LPS Alliance

One important aspect of a decentralization is that it expands the space for political competition beyond the national stage, and provides an opportunity for opposition candidates to prove their worth to the electorate—for instance, as […]

An analysis of county-level governance in the Commonwealth of Virginia

April 26, 2018 Jamie Boex

Three famous Virginians— James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and George Mason—were leading voices in the drafting of the United States Constitution which made federalism and self-governance cornerstones of American democracy. Although their writings have inspired and […]

How democratic are local governments in the United States?

March 27, 2018 Jamie Boex

Although Americans are more sharply divided along political lines than ever, most Americans agree on the bedrock principles of the American federal system, including the distribution of powers and responsibilities between federal, state and local […]