Political Decentralization

Decentralization (government) Political Decentralization

Introduction to Political Decentralization

Government is decentralized in the political sense when the power to determine policies is shared between central and local agencies, and local powers are substantial in both number and importance. Governments vary greatly in the extent to which local units are free to act on their own initiative. In the United States, matters left to state governments are numerous and important, and decentralization is extensive. The state legislatures, unless restrained by constitutional home rule provisions, have complete powers to determine the range of local authority. An example of the other extreme is the German Weimar Republic, which lasted from 1919 to 1933. The functions that this highly centralized regime left to local discretion were few and trivial.

The United Kingdom is a highly centralized state in determination of policy. Every local unit receives its powers from a legally omnipotent Parliament. In practice, however, there has been a strong tradition of local self-rule and therefore a good deal of decentralization. Parliament passes on many private acts relating to municipal affairs, but usually consults local groups in making these decisions. Until strong central control was imposed during the 1980s, the broad outlines of the United Kingdom’s local government were rarely disturbed. ” (1)

Resources

Notes and References

• Information about Political Decentralization in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia

Guide to Political Decentralization

In this Section

Decentralization, Political Decentralization and Administrative Decentralization.