I provide a critical overview of the literature on political decentralization. After reviewing first-
and second-generation theories of federalism, I describe recent empirical studies focusing …

A first generation of studies of the causes and consequences of decentralization and
federalism viewed decentralization as a simple zero-sum transfer of authority from the center …

Since the days of Montesquieu and Jefferson, political decentralization has been seen as a
force for better government and economic performance. It is thought to bring …

▪ Abstract Research on comparative decentralization and federalism is a booming industry.
Recent research integrates insights from political science, economics, and economic history …

Many developing countries have a history of highly centralized governments. Since the late
1980s, a large number of these governments have introduced decentralization to increase …

What determines the relative strength of central and regional governments? Why do centers
engage in more or less geographically based economic redistribution? And why do some …

A broad range of theoretical and empirical work on federalism is based on the implicit
assumption that subnational governments within federal systems are more or less equally …

A recent trend in decentralization in several large and diverse countries is the creation of
local jurisdictions below the regional level--municipalities, towns, and villages--whose …

As more and more of the world's states devolve power and resources to sub-national
governments, decentralization has emerged as one of the most important global trends of …

Through a collection of unique case studies and theoretical analyses, this work examines
the genesis and impact of decentralization reforms in developing and transition countries. In …