Decentralized Governance and Accountability
Academic Research and the Future of Donor Programming

Reviews recent lessons about decentralized governance and implications for future development programs and policies.

Jonathan A. Rodden (Edited by), Erik Wibbels (Edited by)

9781108708869, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 14 April 2022

312 pages, 9 b/w illus. 5 tables
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.8 cm, 0.464 kg

At the end of the twentieth century, academics and policymakers welcomed a trend toward fiscal and political decentralization as part of a potential solution for slow economic growth and poor performance by insulated, unaccountable governments. For the last two decades, researchers have been trying to answer a series of vexing questions about the political economy of multi-layered governance. Much of the best recent research on decentralization has come from close collaborations between university researchers and international aid institutions. As the volume and quality of this collaborative research have increased in recent decades, the time has come to review the lessons from this literature and apply them to debates about future programming. In this volume, the contributors place this research in the broader history of engagement between aid institutions and academics, particularly in the area of decentralized governance, and outline the challenges and opportunities to link evidence and policy action.

1. Introduction Jonathan A. Rodden and Erik Wibbels
2. The social underpinnings of decentralized governance: networks, technology and the future of social accountability Erik Wibbels
3. Leadership selection rules and decentralized governance Guy Grossman
4. Traditional leaders, service delivery and electoral accountability Kate Baldwin and Pia Raffler
5. Decentralized rule and revenue Jonathan Rodden
6. The proliferation of decentralized governing units Jan H. Pierskalla
7. Decentralization and business performance Edmund Malesky
8. Decentralization and urban governance in the developing world: experiences to-date and avenues for future research Christopher Carter and Alison E. Post
9. Decentralization in post-conflict settings: assessing community-driven development in the wake of violence Fotini Christia
10. Clientelism in decentralized states Gianmarco León and Leonard Wantchekon
11. Decentralization and ethnic diversity Thad Dunning
12. From decentralization research to policy and programs: a practical postscript Derick W. Brinkerhoff, Anna Wetterberg and Gary A. Bland
Index.

Subject Areas: International organisations & institutions [LBBU], Political economy [KCP], International relations [JPS], Comparative politics [JPB], Aid & relief programmes [JKSR], Development studies [GTF]