Decentralization and Subnational Politics in Latin America

Tulia G. Falleti explains the different trajectories of decentralization processes in post-developmental Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico, and why their outcomes diverged so markedly.

Tulia G. Falleti (Author)

9780521516792, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 12 April 2010

312 pages, 25 b/w illus. 17 tables
23.6 x 15.8 x 2.2 cm, 0.54 kg

“Tulia Falleti’s study of decentralization in Latin America is a jewel of thoughtful, comparative analysis. Why is there so much variation in the autonomy of subnational governments? The answer is elegant and powerful: final outcomes depend heavily on initial reforms. A territorial coalition that prioritizes political over administrative decentralization carves a path to deeper subnational autonomy than one that prefers administrative over political decentralization. This is a must-read for anyone interested in decentralization.”
—Liesbet Hooghe, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Is it always true that decentralization reforms put more power in the hands of governors and mayors? In post-developmental Latin America, the surprising answer to this question is no. In fact, a variety of outcomes are possible, depending largely on who initiates the reforms, how they are initiated, and in what order they are introduced. Tulia G. Falleti draws on extensive fieldwork, in-depth interviews, archival records, and quantitative data to explain the trajectories of decentralization processes and their markedly different outcomes in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. In her analysis, she develops a sequential theory and method that are successful in explaining this counterintuitive result. Her research contributes to the literature on path dependence and institutional evolution and will be of interest to scholars of decentralization, federalism, subnational politics, intergovernmental relations, and Latin American politics.

1. Decentralization and the revival of subnational politics
2. A sequential theory of decentralization and the intergovernmental balance of power
3. Argentina: the national dominance path to decentralization
4. Colombia: the subnational dominance path to decentralization in a unitary country
5. Brazil: the subnational dominance path to decentralization in a federal country
6. Mexico: the subnational response path to decentralization
7. Conclusion: decentralization, temporal analysis, and territorial politics
Appendix: in-depth interviews.

Subject Areas: Comparative politics [JPB], Politics & government [JP]