| Decentralisation
and Sustainable Livelihoods: James Manor (IDS) |
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1. Background:
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Since the mid-1980s, more than 60 governments - in and beyond less
developed countries (LDCs) - have undertaken experiments with decentralization.
What follows is a distillation of the available evidence on these
efforts in LDCs. It draws mainly on empirical studies of actual
experiments, since these have called many of the theoretical writings
on the subject into doubt. The empirical evidence indicates that
while decentralization has considerable promise, it is no panacea
- it also has limitations. These need to be recognised, lest inflated
expectations lead to unwarranted disillusionment and the abandonment
of what in many (though not all) respects is a promising policy
option.
This contribution first offers brief comments on definitions of
decentralization, and on three things that are essential to its
success. It then considers the potential impact of decentralization
on governance, society and development. Since this concise treatment
cannot fully assess these complex matters, we conclude with a guide
to documentary and on-line sources of further information.
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