The Political Economy of Democratic Decentralization

by Manor, James

• ISBN13: 9780821344705
• ISBN10: 0821344706
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-03-01
• Publisher: World Bank Publications

Summary

Advocates of pluralist, competitive politics have regarded decentralization as a device for deepening democracy or for prying closed systems open and to give interest groups space in which to organize, compete and otherwise assert themselves. Some politicians in central governments see it as a means of delegating expensive tasks to others lower down. From a political economy perspective, this study examines the origins of the current wave of decentralizations in less-developed countries and its implications, especially its promise and limitations for rural development. It is based mainly on empirical evidence drawn from experiments with decentralization in a large number of countries. The paper is divided into six parts. Part I defines terms to show that the word "decentralization" can mean many different things. Part II examines why some political regimes have often tended not to decentralize even when all indicators support the need for it. Part III seeks to explain the tendency of many regimes during the early 1980s to decentralize. Part IV examines the encounter between decentralized institutions and how they operate within their state-society and political milieu. Part V discusses the advantages and disadvantages of decentralization. Part VI assesses the promise of decentralization for rural development.

Table of Contents

Abstract	vii
Foreword	ix
Acknowledgements	xi
Introduction	1	(3)
PART I Defining Terms	4	(9)
Types	4	(4)
Forms of Democratic Decentralization	8	(2)
Levels	10	(3)
PART II The Problem of Hubris: Regimes' Centralizing Tendencies and Earlier Experiments with Decentralization	13	(13)
The Age of Hubris	13	(10)
The Unraveling	23	(3)
PART III Explaining the Latest Wave of Decentralizations	26	(27)
Diverse Causes	27	(9)
Mixed Motives	36	(4)
Linking the Origins, Institutionalization, and Implications of Decentralization	40	(13)
PART IV Politics, State-Society Relations, and Decentralization	53	(28)
Conditions for Success, Crucial and Merely Helpful	55	(2)
Unfounded Assertions about ``Preconditions'' for Successful Decentralization	57	(1)
Importance of Historical Legacies	58	(1)
Virtues of Simplicity	59	(1)
Jealousy of Power Holders at Higher Levels	60	(1)
Other Reasons for Intrusions from Higher Levels	61	(1)
Mistakes at Higher Levels	62	(1)
Giving Central Governments More Creative Roles in Making Decentralization Work Well	63	(2)
The Danger of Inflating Popular Expectations	65	(1)
Attracting Responsible Leaders and Combating Clientelism	65	(1)
Fine Line between Clientelism and More Creative, Institutionalized Patronage Systems	66	(1)
Creating Formal Structures with Politics and Accountability as the Main Concerns	67	(1)
Deconcentration and Devolution---Problem of Sequencing	67	(1)
Decentralization and Fiscal Discipline	68	(1)
Local Resource Mobilization and the Reluctance of Politicians at Lower Levels to Impose Fresh Taxes	69	(1)
Do Not Expect Rural Taxpayers to Vote with Their Feet	70	(1)
Grants from Above Do Not Necessarily Imply Control	71	(1)
Decentralized Authorities' Bias towards Small-Scale Infrastructure Projects	71	(1)
Decentralized Authorities' Foreshortened Time Perspective	72	(1)
Need for Patience with Elected Representative and Voters in Newly Democratized Systems	72	(1)
Decentralizing in Uncongenial Social Contexts	73	(1)
Decentralization as an Agent of Social Change	73	(1)
Transparency: Not an Unmixed Blessing	74	(1)
Political Parties and Decentralized Bodies	75	(1)
Popular Pressure for Decentralization	76	(1)
Devices to Compel Elected Representatives to Engage with People at the Grass Roots	77	(1)
Utility of Participatory Rural Appraisal Techniques	78	(3)
PART V Assessing Decentralization to the Regional as well as the Local Level	81	(7)
The Greater Complexity and Cost of Decentralization to Both Regional and Local Levels	81	(1)
Bridging the Distance between Central and Local Levels	81	(1)
Which Responsibilities Should be Decentralized to Which Levels?	82	(1)
Protecting Decentralization from the Jealousy of Higher Level Leaders	82	(1)
Enhancing the Influence of Decentralized Bodies in National Politics	83	(1)
Ensuring Poor, Remote Regions of Fairer Representation in National Politics	83	(1)
Facilitating Local Authorities' Access to Administrative Resources at the Regional Level	83	(1)
Enhancing Coordination of Development Administrators from different Line Ministries	83	(1)
Facilitating Complex Development Projects	84	(1)
Facilitating Scaling Up from the Local Level	84	(1)
Facilitating the Upward Flow if Information from the Local Level and the Responsiveness of Central Government	84	(1)
Combating Absenteeism and Irresponsible Behaviour by Government Employees	84	(1)
Enhancing the Accountability and Responsiveness of Regional-Level Bureaucrats	84	(1)
Facilitating Poverty Alleviation and Fairness for Minorities	85	(1)
Facilitating Fairness to Women	85	(1)
Easing the Problem of the Foreshortened Time Perspective of Local-Level Politicians	85	(1)
Facilitating Collaboration Between Nongovernmental Organizations and Decentralized Authorities	85	(1)
Integrating the Efforts of Local-Level Voluntary Associations	85	(1)
Overcoming Authoritarian Enclaves	86	(1)
Facilitating the Integration of Local-Level Politicians into National Politics	86	(1)
Facilitating the Integration of Competing Political Parties into Decentralized Institutions	86	(1)
Combating Urban Bias	86	(2)
PART VI How Promising is Decentralization for Rural Development	88	(30)
Where Decentralization Has Considerable Promise	88	(6)
Where Decentralization Has at Least Modest Promise	94	(13)
Where Decentralization Has Little Promise	107	(11)
Summary	118	(3)
References	121	(9)
Index	130