Objectives This article introduces the benefits of applying social science theories discussing institutional stasis and change to better measure, explain, and compare elite behavior within health administration and decentralization processes. A new comparative method based on these theories is...

Contrary to the once-popular notion of the central bureaucracy withering away as an outcome of decentralization, scholars have shown that in cases of local policy success, national bureaucrats have instead redefined their roles, strengthening their focus on monitoring and accountability. Yet...