Decentralization and Local Governance in MENA : A Survey of Policies, Institutions, and Practices
Entering the 21st century, the 1999-2000 World Development Report (WDR), identifies two main forces that are shaping the world in which development policy is being defined and implemented: (i) globalization, the increasing worldwide integration of...
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| Format: | Policy Note |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2014
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2007/03/12567898/decentralization-local-governance-mena-survey-policies-institutions-practices-review-decentralization-experience-eight-middle-east-north-africa-countries http://hdl.handle.net/10986/19617 |
| Summary: | Entering the 21st century, the 1999-2000
World Development Report (WDR), identifies two main forces
that are shaping the world in which development policy is
being defined and implemented: (i) globalization, the
increasing worldwide integration of private sector
interaction and commercial relationships; and (ii)
localization, a process of devolving fiscal and
administrative roles and responsibilities from central to
sub-national tiers of government. It goes on to note that
these global-private and local-public pressures are not only
reinforcing, but also challenging traditional paradigms and
forms of intergovernmental systems. Political
decentralization, often associated with pluralistic politics
and representative government, aims to give citizens more
say in public policy and decision-making. Its advocates
assume that decisions made with greater participation will
be better informed and more relevant to diverse interests in
society than those made only by national political
authorities. The concept implies that the selection of
representatives from local electoral jurisdictions allows
citizens to know better their political representatives and
allows elected officials to know better the needs and
desires of their constituents. Administrative
decentralization aims to redistribute authority,
responsibility and financial resources for providing public
services among different levels of government. It typically
takes three forms: de-concentration, delegation and
devolution. Fiscal decentralization vests greater autonomy
and authority with local governments in matters of fiscal
importance, empowering local governments to generate their
own revenues, through taxes and user charges, as well as
determining their expenditure priorities based on a clear
assignment of functions and responsibilities. Over the last
two decades, it has been estimated that more than 100
countries, most of them in the developing world, have
experimented with various forms of decentralization. |
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