I examine decentralization through the lens of the local dynamics it unleashed in the much-noted case of Bolivia and … the less-noted case of Bangladesh. I argue that the national effects of decentralization are largely the sum of its local …-level effects. Hence to understand decentralization we must first understand how local government works. This implies analysing not …

Does decentralization change policy outputs at the local level? If so, for better or worse? Do such changes reflect … some local governments respond well to decentralization while others respond badly? These are some of the most important … questions surrounding the issue of decentralization, which remain open despite a large related literature. This paper seeks to …

Hundreds of studies have failed to establish the effects of decentralization on a number of important policy goals …. This paper examines the remarkable case of Bolivia to explore decentralization's effects on government responsiveness and … poverty-orientation. I first summarize econometric results on the effects of decentralization nationally, and then turn to …

This paper reviews some of the more important rationales for decentralization to date, examines their theoretical … underpinning, and the goes on to describe the elements of a nwe theory of decentralization which might take us far in our … effects of decentralization in Bolivia. We find strong evidence that devolving resources and power to local government has (i …

We explore the effects of decentralization on education and health in Ethiopia using an original database covering all … the 1970s-80s were followed by federalization, decentralization, rapid growth and dramatic improvements in human … development. Did decentralization contribute to these successes? We use time series and panel data analyses to show that …

What is decentralization, what is its underpinning rationale, and why might it matter for least-developed countries … decentralization into clear empirical conclusions; and (ii) to derive policy lessons relevant to least-developed countries. It first … reviews the different definitions of decentralization employed in the literature before proposing one best suited to countries …