Where is Local Government Going in Latin America?: a comparative perspective

A major process of decentralisation has been under way in Latin America since the mid-1980s. The reasons for it have been extensively debated. The main features of this process, including greater formal political autonomy for and financial strengthening of local government, as well as the transfer of competencies from central to local government, have also been widely discussed. By contrast, far less attention has been paid to the impact of decentralisation on the changing role of local government within the overall political system of Latin America. This paper seeks to address the fundamental question, "Where is local government going in Latin America?" by situating the current wave of decentralisation within the comparative framework of two distinct 'ideal types' that characterise contemporary local government systems around the world. [author]