Decentralizing Governance

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Author :
Publisher : Brookings Institution Press
ISBN 13 : 0815713908
Total Pages : 338 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (157 download)

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Book Synopsis Decentralizing Governance by : G. Shabbir Cheema

Download or read book Decentralizing Governance written by G. Shabbir Cheema and published by Brookings Institution Press. This book was released on 2007-08-01 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The trend toward greater decentralization of governance activities, now accepted as commonplace in the West, has become a worldwide movement. This international development—largely a product of globalization and democratization—is clearly one of the key factors reshaping economic, political, and social conditions throughout the world. Rather than the top-down, centralized decisionmaking that characterized communist economies and Third World dictatorships in the twentieth century, today's world demands flexibility, adaptability, and the autonomy to bring those qualities to bear. In this thought-provoking book, the first in a new series on Innovations in Governance, experts in government and public management trace the evolution and performance of decentralization concepts, from the transfer of authority within government to the sharing of power, authority, and responsibilities among broader governance institutions. This movement is not limited to national government—it also affects subnational governments, NGOs, private corporations, and even civil associations. The contributors assess the emerging concepts of decentralization (e.g., devolution, empowerment, capacity building, and democratic governance). They detail the factors driving the movement, including political changes such as the fall of the Iron Curtain and the ascendance of democracy; economic factors such as globalization and outsourcing; and technological advances (e.g. increased information technology and electronic commerce). Their analysis covers many different contexts and regions. For example, William Ascher of Claremont McKenna College chronicles how decentralization concepts are playing out in natural resources policy, while Kadmeil Wekwete (United Nations) outlines the specific challenges to decentralizing governance in sub-Saharan Africa. In each case, contributors explore the objectives of a decentralizing strategy as well as the benefits and difficulties that will likely result.

Decentralization and Local Governance in Developing Countries

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Author :
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 0262524546
Total Pages : 375 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (625 download)

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Book Synopsis Decentralization and Local Governance in Developing Countries by : Pranab Bardhan

Download or read book Decentralization and Local Governance in Developing Countries written by Pranab Bardhan and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2006-06-16 with total page 375 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the past three decades the developing world has seen increasing devolution of political and economic power to local governments. Decentralization is considered an important element of participatory democracy and, along with privatization and deregulation, represents a substantial reduction in the authority of national governments over economic policy. The contributors to Decentralization and Local Governance in Developing Countries examine this institutional transformation from comparative and interdisciplinary perspectives, offering detailed case studies of decentralization in eight countries: Bolivia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, South Africa, and Uganda. Some of these countries witnessed an unprecedented "big bang" shift toward comprehensive political and economic decentralization: Bolivia in 1995 and Indonesia after the fall of Suharto in 1998. Brazil and India decentralized in an uneven and more gradual manner. In some other countries (such as Pakistan), devolution represented an instrument for consolidation of power of a nondemocratic national government. In China, local governments were granted much economic but little political power. South Africa made the transition from the undemocratic decentralization of apartheid to decentralization under a democratic constitution. The studies provide a comparative perspective on the political and economic context within which decentralization took place, and how this shaped its design and possible impact. Contributors Omar Azfar, Gianpaolo Baiocchi, Pranab Bardhan, Shubham Chaudhuri, Ali Cheema, Jean-Paul Faguet, Bert Hofman, Kai Kaiser, Philip E. Keefer, Asim Ijaz Khwaja, Justin Yifu Lin, Mingxing Liu, Jeffrey Livingston, Patrick Meagher, Dilip Mookherjee, Ambar Narayan, Adnan Qadir, Ran Tao, Tara Vishwanath, Martin Wittenberg

Devolution and Development

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Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1351159984
Total Pages : 303 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (511 download)

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Book Synopsis Devolution and Development by : Mwangi S. Kimenyi

Download or read book Devolution and Development written by Mwangi S. Kimenyi and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-01-18 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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 particular, the volume shows how decentralization affects governance and efficiency in the provision of public goods and under what conditions decentralization seems to deliver its theoretical benefits. Analyses in the book address current concerns about the interaction of decentralization with social and political structure, resource mobilization, public goods provision and corruption. This work will be invaluable to scholars of politics, development studies and regional studies.

Implementing Decentralized Local Governance

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Author :
Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 45 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Implementing Decentralized Local Governance by : Anwar Shah

Download or read book Implementing Decentralized Local Governance written by Anwar Shah and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2004 with total page 45 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Decentralization In Health Care: Strategies And Outcomes

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Author :
Publisher : McGraw-Hill Education (UK)
ISBN 13 : 033521925X
Total Pages : 327 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (352 download)

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Book Synopsis Decentralization In Health Care: Strategies And Outcomes by : Saltman, Richard

Download or read book Decentralization In Health Care: Strategies And Outcomes written by Saltman, Richard and published by McGraw-Hill Education (UK). This book was released on 2006-12-01 with total page 327 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Exploring the capacity and impact of decentralization within European health care systems, this book examines both the theoretical underpinnings as well as practical experience with decentralization.

Decentralizing Governance

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (744 download)

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Book Synopsis Decentralizing Governance by : G. Shabbir Cheema

Download or read book Decentralizing Governance written by G. Shabbir Cheema and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this thought-provoking book, the first in a new series on Innovations in Governance, experts in government and public management trace the evolution and performance of decentralization concepts, from the transfer of authority within government to the sharing of power, authority, and responsibilities among broader governance institutions. This movement is not limited to national government--it also affects subnational governments, NGOs, private corporations, and even civil associations.

Decentralized Governance of Adaptation to Climate Change in Africa

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Author :
Publisher : CABI
ISBN 13 : 1786390760
Total Pages : 172 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (863 download)

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Book Synopsis Decentralized Governance of Adaptation to Climate Change in Africa by : Esbern Friis-Hansen

Download or read book Decentralized Governance of Adaptation to Climate Change in Africa written by Esbern Friis-Hansen and published by CABI. This book was released on 2017-07-12 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two perspectives have dominated the social science discourse on climate change adaptation. Firstly, an international narrative among UN and donor agencies of technical and financial support for planned climate change adaptation. Secondly, a significant volume of studies discuss how local communities can undertake their own autonomous adaptation. Effective and sustainable climate adaptation requires a third focus: understanding of the political processes within sub-national institutions that mediate between national and local practices. This book address the knowledge gap that currently exists about the role of district-level institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa in providing an enabling institutional environment for rural climate change adaptation.

Going Local

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Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 1400830354
Total Pages : 256 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (8 download)

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Book Synopsis Going Local by : Merilee S. Grindle

Download or read book Going Local written by Merilee S. Grindle and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2009-03-09 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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 democracy and improve services, especially in small communities far from capital cities. In Going Local, an unprecedented study of the effects of decentralization on thirty Mexican municipalities, Merilee Grindle describes how local governments respond when they are assigned new responsibilities and resources under decentralization policies. She explains why decentralization leads to better local governments in some cases--and why it fails to in others. Combining quantitative and qualitative methods, Grindle examines data based on a random sample of Mexican municipalities--and ventures into town halls to follow public officials as they seek to manage a variety of tasks amid conflicting pressures and new expectations. Decentralization, she discovers, is a double-edged sword. While it allows public leaders to make significant reforms quickly, institutional weaknesses undermine the durability of change, and legacies of the past continue to affect how public problems are addressed. Citizens participate, but they are more successful at extracting resources from government than in holding local officials and agencies accountable for their actions. The benefits of decentralization regularly predicted by economists, political scientists, and management specialists are not inevitable, she argues. Rather, they are strongly influenced by the quality of local leadership and politics.

Decentralization and Governance Capacity

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Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3030020479
Total Pages : 269 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (3 download)

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Book Synopsis Decentralization and Governance Capacity by : Evrim Tan

Download or read book Decentralization and Governance Capacity written by Evrim Tan and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-11-27 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is widely assumed that the relationship between governance capacity and decentralization determines the success in governance, but how does this relationship function is largely contested. Does decentralization lead to an improvement in governance capacities, or are certain capacities preconditioned in order for decentralization to lead better governance? Relying on an empirical study of Turkish provincial municipalities, the book argues success in decentralization is strongly influenced by the socioeconomic conditions in the province and to a lesser extent by the local government’s capacity. The book provides a novel approach to capacity building practices and decentralization reforms by suggesting that the relationship between decentralization and governance capacity should be addressed not only on the organizational but also on the developmental level. In this way, the book proposes asymmetrical decentralization according to socio-economic development at subnational level for better governance outcomes.

Implementing Decentralized Local Governance

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (931 download)

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Book Synopsis Implementing Decentralized Local Governance by : Anwar Shah

Download or read book Implementing Decentralized Local Governance written by Anwar Shah and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the past two decades, a silent revolution in public sector governance has swept across the globe aiming to move decision making for local public services closer to the people. The countries embracing and adapting to this silent revolution have had diverse motives and followed even more diverse approaches. This paper attempts to present a stylized view of the motivations and approaches used to strengthen local governance. The quest for the right balance, i.e. appropriate division of powers among different levels of government, is not always the primary reason for decentralizing. There is evidence that the decentralization decision may have more to do with short-term political considerations than the long-run benefits of decentralization. To take stock of progress worldwide, we take a comparative look at developments in political, fiscal and administrative decentralization for a selected group of countries. Most of the decentralization literature deals with normative issues regarding the assignment of responsibilities among different levels of government and the design of fiscal transfers. The process of decentralization has not received the attention it deserves as the best laid plans can fail due to implementation difficulties. We revisit major controversies regarding preferred approaches to obtaining a successful outcome. Key approaches examined are big push versus small steps; bottom up vs. top down; and uniform vs. asymmetric decentralization. Finally, Indonesia's 1999 big bang decentralization program is evaluated. The program should be commended for its achievements over a short period of time, however incentives are lacking for local governments to be accountable and responsive to their residents.

The Architecture of Government

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Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1139466496
Total Pages : 295 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (394 download)

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Book Synopsis The Architecture of Government by : Daniel Treisman

Download or read book The Architecture of Government written by Daniel Treisman and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2007-07-02 with total page 295 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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 government 'closer to the people', nurture civic virtue, protect liberty, exploit local information, stimulate policy innovation, and alleviate ethnic tensions. Inspired by such arguments, and generously funded by the major development agencies, countries across the globe have been racing to devolve power to local governments. This book re-examines the arguments that underlie the modern faith in decentralization. Using logical analysis and formal modeling, and appealing to numerous examples, it shows that most are based on vague intuitions or partial views that do not withstand scrutiny. A review of empirical studies of decentralization finds these as inconclusive and mutually contradictory as the theories they set out to test.

The Politics of Decentralization

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Author :
Publisher : Earthscan
ISBN 13 : 1849773211
Total Pages : 331 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (497 download)

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Book Synopsis The Politics of Decentralization by : Carol J. Pierce Colfer

Download or read book The Politics of Decentralization written by Carol J. Pierce Colfer and published by Earthscan. This book was released on 2012 with total page 331 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Decentralization is sweeping the world and having dramatic and far-reaching impacts on resource management and livelihoods, particularly in forestry. This book is the most up-to-date examination of the themes, experiences and lessons learned from decentralization worldwide. Drawing on research and support from all of the major international forestry and conservation organizations, the book provides a balanced account that covers the impact of decentralization on resource management worldwide, and provides comparative global insights with wide implications for policy, management, conservation and resource use and planning. Topics covered include forest governance in federal systems, democratic decentralization of forests and natural resources, paths and pitfalls in decentralization and biodiversity conservation in decentralized forests. The book provides in-depth case studies of decentralization from Bolivia, Ghana, Indonesia, Russia, Scotland, Switzerland, Uganda and the US, as well as highlights from federal countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada, India and Malaysia. It also addresses the critical links between the state, forests, communities and power relations in a range of regions and circumstances, and provides case examples of how decentralization has been viewed and experienced by communities in Guatemala, Philippines and Zimbabwe. The Politics of Decentralization is state-of-the-art coverage of decentralization and is essential for practitioners, academics and policy-makers across forestry and the full spectrum of natural resource management.

Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance

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Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3030662527
Total Pages : 13623 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (36 download)

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Book Synopsis Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance by : Ali Farazmand

Download or read book Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance written by Ali Farazmand and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-04-05 with total page 13623 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This global encyclopedic work serves as a comprehensive collection of global scholarship regarding the vast fields of public administration, public policy, governance, and management. Written and edited by leading international scholars and practitioners, this exhaustive resource covers all areas of the above fields and their numerous subfields of study. In keeping with the multidisciplinary spirit of these fields and subfields, the entries make use of various theoretical, empirical, analytical, practical, and methodological bases of knowledge. Expanded and updated, the second edition includes over a thousand of new entries representing the most current research in public administration, public policy, governance, nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations, and management covering such important sub-areas as: 1. organization theory, behavior, change and development; 2. administrative theory and practice; 3. Bureaucracy; 4. public budgeting and financial management; 5. public economy and public management 6. public personnel administration and labor-management relations; 7. crisis and emergency management; 8. institutional theory and public administration; 9. law and regulations; 10. ethics and accountability; 11. public governance and private governance; 12. Nonprofit management and nongovernmental organizations; 13. Social, health, and environmental policy areas; 14. pandemic and crisis management; 15. administrative and governance reforms; 16. comparative public administration and governance; 17. globalization and international issues; 18. performance management; 19. geographical areas of the world with country-focused entries like Japan, China, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Russia and Eastern Europe, North America; and 20. a lot more. Relevant to professionals, experts, scholars, general readers, researchers, policy makers and manger, and students worldwide, this work will serve as the most viable global reference source for those looking for an introduction and advance knowledge to the field.

Applying a Simple Measure of Good Governance to the Debate on Fiscal Decentralization

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Author :
Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 37 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Applying a Simple Measure of Good Governance to the Debate on Fiscal Decentralization by : Jeff Huther

Download or read book Applying a Simple Measure of Good Governance to the Debate on Fiscal Decentralization written by Jeff Huther and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 1998 with total page 37 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: March 1998 Applying an index for the quality of governance reveals a surprisingly strong positive correlation between fiscal decentralization and quality of governance. Debates about the appropriate role, policies, and institutions of the state are often hampered by the lack of a definition for good government. To provide a quantifiable measure of good government, Huther and Shah develop an index for the quality of governance for a sample of 80 countries. They apply the index to the debate on the appropriate level of fiscal decentralization. In measuring the quality of governance, the authors develop indices for the government's ability to: * Ensure political transparency and a voice for all citizens (the citizen participation index measures political freedom and political stability). * Provide effective public services efficiently (the government orientation index measures judicial and bureaucratic efficiency and the absence of corruption). * Promote the health and well-being of its citizens (the social development index measures human development and equitable distribution of income). * Create a favorable climate for stable economic growth (the economic management index measures outward orientation, independence of the central bank, and an inverted debt-to-GDP ratio). In relating the index of governance quality to degree of fiscal decentralization for the 80 countries, Huther and Shah are not surprised to find a positive relationship between fiscal decentralization and quality of governance. But the strength of the correlation is surprising. This paper-a product of Country Evaluation and Regional Relations Division, Operations Evaluation Department-is part of a larger effort in the department to examine the role of the authorizing environment in public sector performance.

Decentralized Governance and Accountability

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Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1108571093
Total Pages : 313 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (85 download)

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Book Synopsis Decentralized Governance and Accountability by : Jonathan A. Rodden

Download or read book Decentralized Governance and Accountability written by Jonathan A. Rodden and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019-02-28 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Decentralization and Governance in Indonesia

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Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3319224344
Total Pages : 298 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (192 download)

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Book Synopsis Decentralization and Governance in Indonesia by : Ronald L. Holzhacker

Download or read book Decentralization and Governance in Indonesia written by Ronald L. Holzhacker and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-09-11 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Indonesia over the past two decades has embarked on a process of decentralization as part of a broader process of democratization, which followed earlier periods of centralized governance and authoritarian rule across the archipelago. The purpose of this book is to begin to explore the connections between governance and sustainable society in a wide variety of policy fields in Indonesia, and how reforming governance structures may contribute to societal benefits and the creation of a long-term sustainable society. This book bridges important theoretical debates related to governance and sustainable society and provides empirical research from Indonesia in important policy areas related to this debate. By placing research in different policy areas in a single volume, the link to the broader concepts of governance, decentralization, and societal outcomes is strengthened. The book builds on the recent interest that has focused on Indonesia and the continued development of democracy in the country. The chapters in the book show a rich variety of decentralized governance arrangements and capacity building at the local level in particular. Central standards (for example for social sustainability, anti-corruption arrangements, or for dealing with direct foreign investment), combined with local innovation (for example for municipal coordination of primary health care or metropolitan transport), are key to Indonesia as a country in a continuing process of transformation. We identify three key trends in the on-going process of decentralization and governance in Indonesia. First, we find that formal governance, the relation between the national and local government, is characterized by a system of ‘variable geometry multi-level governance’ depending on the policy area. The challenge ahead is strengthening accountability mechanisms to assure national standards while preserving and encouraging local innovation. Secondly, informal governance mechanisms are evolving to move from ‘hierarchical to network’ forms of governance. Here the challenge is to insure democratic input by citizens and civil society organizations. Finally, we identify a trend toward ‘shared value creation and sustainable cooperation.’ Indonesia is beginning to move from a rather singular policy focus on economic growth to a more complex and developing notion of policymaking for inclusive growth and the creation of a sustainable society for present and future generations. Here the challenge is sound implementation and to increase the effectiveness of governance mechanisms. There is also a noted diffusion of goals, to focus beyond the Jakarta metropolitan area to smaller regional cities, as urbanization continues and rural areas are changing. This book will be of interest for use in advanced undergraduate and graduate courses related to Southeast Asia in the fields of international relations, political science, public administration, economics, law, sociology, educa tion, public health, and the spatial sciences. It will also be of interest to policymakers and government officials at the national and local level in Southeast Asia and middle-income developing countries, officials and policymakers in institutions of regional governance such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and of global governance such as the United Nations and World Bank. It will also be of interest to civil society organizations and other actors focused on policy development and economic development, health, education, the environment, sustainable transport, etc. The book will also be of interest to business people interested in economic and governance issues, such as the management and governance of in-bound foreign investment, inclusive growth, and corporate governance. Finally, the book should be of interest to citizens in advanced, middle-income, and developing countries motivated to learn more about the links between governance and the creation of a sustainable society for current and future generations.

The Theories of Decentralization and Local Government

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Author :
Publisher : Stephen F. Austin University Press
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 308 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (891 download)

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Book Synopsis The Theories of Decentralization and Local Government by : Kwame Badu Antwi-Boasiako

Download or read book The Theories of Decentralization and Local Government written by Kwame Badu Antwi-Boasiako and published by Stephen F. Austin University Press. This book was released on 2014 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Theories of Decentralization and Local Government brings fresh perspective to the debate and comparative analysis of vertical division of power; i.e. processes of decentralization and relations between central and local (self) governments. The multiple author book is not just one of many similar around the globe, as it encompasses contributions from many different academics from not only different countries, but also different continents and even more importantly, very different political traditions and cultures. This way, the book deepens and strengthens knowledge of the role of local governments in the contemporary world, and brings new value to discussions on the relationship between decentralization and development. Contributors include: Ahmed Mustafa Elhussein Mansour, Hong Pang, Abdulfattah Yaghi, Jose Neftali Recinos, Gariela Miranda-Recinos, Lee Payne, Heather Wyatt Nichol, Ed Gibson, James Newman, Kwame Asamoah, Minerva Cruz, and Alexandra Tsvetkova.