It is widely assumed that the relationship between governance capacity and decentralization determines the success in governance, but how does this relationship function is largely contested. Does decentralization lead to an improvement in governance capacities, or are certain capacities preconditioned in order decentralization to lead better governance? Relying on an empirical study on Turkish provincial municipalities, the book argues success in decentralization is strongly influenced by the socioeconomic conditions in the province and to a lesser extent by the local government’s capacity. The book provides a novel approach to capacity building practices and decentralization reforms by suggesting that the relationship between decentralization and governance capacity should be addressed not only on the organizational but also on the developmental level. In this way, the book proposes asymmetrical decentralization according to socio-economic development at subnational level for bettergovernance outcomes.
Evrim Tan is a visiting professor in the Public Governance Institute at the University of Leuven, Belgium. His research concentrates on decentralization, local government, capacity building and public management reforms.
It is widely assumed that the relationship between governance capacity and decentralization determines the success in governance, but how does this relationship function is largely contested. Does decentralization lead to an improvement in governance capacities, or are certain capacities preconditioned in order for decentralization to lead better governance? Relying on an empirical study of Turkish provincial municipalities, the book argues success in decentralization is strongly influenced by the socioeconomic conditions in the province and to a lesser extent by the local government’s capacity. The book provides a novel approach to capacity building practices and decentralization reforms by suggesting that the relationship between decentralization and governance capacity should be addressed not only on the organizational but also on the developmental level. In this way, the book proposes asymmetrical decentralization according to socio-economic development at subnational level for better governance outcomes.
Develops novel conceptual and analytical models by bringing together the disparate literatures of decentralization, governance and government capacity Brings a new insight on the ambivalent relationships between decentralization, development and better governance Provides policy relevant recommendations to public managers, development specialists and international donor organizations on decentralization practices
Evrim Tan
decentralization governance capacity public governance Turkish public administration public management reform local governance financial material managerial planning communication human resource capacities regression analysis comparative case in Turkish local government
“The author unpacks the important relationship among socio-economic development, local capacity, and better governance in the case of Turkiye. … the effort to put these complex and overlapping themes into an appropriate order should be appreciated. This study provides a reliable reference for academics in the field. In addition to its academic value, Decentralization and Governance Capacity provides a useful reference for policymakers and bureaucrats interested in this subject.” (Çiğdem Görgün Akgül, Insight Turkey, Vol. 24 (2), 2022)
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