Real Democratization in Cambodia? An Empirical Review of the Potential of a Decentralization Reform

How can a war-torn country rise and in the process create democratic institutions? This paper uses Cambodia as an example and tries to identify some of the key dimensions of the Cambodian decentralization reform.

The question in focus, how the process of decentralization and local development is played out in a post-conflict country is thoroughly investigated. Moreover the effects that the reforms brought to Cambodia on a macro-level are dealt with. For anyone interested in modern Cambodia, this is a must read and a good way of understanding the risks of post-conflict institutional reconstruction.

Full working paper