Work

On the Local Politics of Administrative Decentralization: Applying for Policy Responsibilities in Ecuador

Year: 2011

Type: article

Abstract: Variation in the behavior and preferences of subnational governments is one of the areas that remain poorly understood by students of comparative decentralization and federalism. Yet, evidence suggests that this variation plays an important role in shaping intergovernmental relations. Ecuador provides an especially interesting case for systematically exploring variation in the behavior of municipalities. Rather than establishing a uniform division of competences between levels of government, the 1998 constitution called on subnational governments to apply for policy responsibilities. Using an original data set, our analysis demonstrates that, in addition to national-level incentives, municipal-level political variables—such as the government’s support base and linkages to civil society—have a strong and significant impact on the behavior of local governments.

Source: Publius The Journal of Federalism

DOI: 10.1093/publius/pjq046

Authors: Jörg Faust, Imke Harbers

Institutions: German Institute of Development and Sustainability, University of Amsterdam

Language: English

Topic: Local Government Finance and Decentralization

Subfield: Political Science and International Relations

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: bronze

OpenAlex ID: W2079211784