Publication

This paper analyzes the impact of decentralization on local-level governance in Bolivia and Bangladesh. The author first looks at national-level evidence of decentralization’s effect on primary services, such as provision of education and health care, in Bolivia. He then compares a city that performed well following decentralization with one that did not to develop a model that identifies what leads to good local government performance. He then suggests that a key factor in the ability of local government to respond to circumstances is its level of political openness and competition. Finally, he tests his model on decentralization data in Bangladesh and finds that as it works in this case, it can be used in different institutional, cultural, and economic contexts.