Decentralization for Democracy, Development and Stabilization: USAID Staff Guidance

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Decentralization for Democracy, Development and
StabilizationUSAID Staff Guidance

• May 3, 2007

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Decentralization and Democratic Local Governance
(DDLG) Programming Handbook, USAID (2000)
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Why revise?

• Update country case materials
• Enhance conceptual framework
• Changes in US foreign policy
• Fragile/failed states
• Development linked to U.S. national security
• Millennium Challenge Corporation

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Handbook Revision Process

• Background/issues papers
• September 2006 Workshop
• Task Order to Associates in Rural Development,
  December 2006
• Complete Draft, June 30,2007
• Publication expected October, 2007

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Principal Authors

• Kent Eaton
• Paul Smoke
• Tyler Dickovick
• Harry Blair
• James Wunsch
• Joanne Nicoll

• UC Santa Cruz
• New York University
• Washington and Lee
• Yale
• Creighton
• Pittsburgh

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Revised Handbook Contents

• (Next 8 slides)

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Chapter Titles

• Opportunities and Challenges for DDLG Reform
• What is Decentralization?
• Why Decentralize?
• Assessing the Environment for DDLG Reform
• Programming Strategies and Actions
• Monitoring and Evaluation
• Conclusions

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Definition(Chapter 1)

• Decentralization is the transfer of power and
  resources from national governments to
  subnational governments or to the subnational
  administrative units of the national government.

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Essentials of Decentralization(Chapter 1)

• Authority
• Autonomy
• Accountability
• Capacity

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Dimensions of Decentralization(Chapter 2)

• Political
• Fiscal
• Administrative

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Forms of Decentralization(Chapter 2)

• Deconcentration
• Delegation
• Devolution

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Primary Goals of Decentralization(Chapter 3)

• Stability
• Economic Development
• Democracy

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Constraints on Decentralization(Chapter 3)

• Strength of the Central State
• Internal Structure of Political Parties
• Weak Subnational Political Competition
• Resource Constraints
• Tradeoffs and Conflicting Goals

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Arenas of Diagnosis and Action(Chapters 4 and 5)

• National
• Subnational
• Civil Society

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Can we provide reliable guidance concerning
decentralization for democracy, development and
stabilization?

• We think we can.

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If stability is the objective,

• Does the state have an effective monopoly on the
  legitimate use of force?
• What is the nature of the export/import
  political economy?
• Is the rule of law effective throughout the
  national territory?

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If democracy is the objective,

• Are subnational authoritarian enclaves common
  or rare?
• How are candidates for subnational elected
  offices and national legislative bodies chosen?
• How well and widely organized is civil society?

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If development is the objective,

• What are the capacities of subnational
  governments/administrations to provide valued
  local public services?
• What is the degree and frequency of subnational
  inequalities?
• Are subnational units subject to a hard budget
  constraint?

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Under adverse circumstances,

• Decentralization should take the following
  sequence
• Administrative
• Fiscal
• Political
• Asymmetrical treatment of subnational units
  should be considered

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Under adverse circumstances,

• Do single-purpose subnational units offer
  advantages over multiple-purpose units?