Choice, Recognition and Democracy Effects of Decentralization

Many democratic decentralization reforms have been carried out in cooperation with CSO:s, the private sector and other non-governmental agents – but how does this affect the accountability and legitimacy of the local government?

This paper examines the effects of institutional choices and exemplifies different democratic dimensions in the process of democratic decentralization. Based on experiences from several countries this paper creates guidelines for evaluating projects and policies within the field of local democracy and is thus a must read for local officials and others interested in democratic transitions.

Full working paper