Sub-National Governance in Small States

"Small states are mostly excluded from comparative research, and also from studies on local politics. This outstanding book effectively fills this void by providing the first comprehensive analysis of subnational governance in small states. It is full of fascinating findings, and productively combines a comparative analysis of small states around the world with an in-depth analysis of local government in Iceland." – Wouter Veenendaal, Assistant Professor, Institute of Political Science, Leiden University, Belgium

This book explores the development of subnational government in small states, using Iceland as a model and comparing it with small states of similar population size as well as those with larger populations. The book examines subnational government from the perspective of small state theory, providing a comprehensive overview of the basic data on subnational government for all small states with between 100,000 and 1 million inhabitants.It presents Iceland as a model for decentralization in small states, providing detailed information on the country’s organization at the subnational level, and highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of decentralizing tasks from central to subnational government. Demonstrating the difference population size makes when it comes to successfully decentralizing tasks to subnational governments, this book is intended for scholars, students and practitioners alike.

Eva Marín Hlynsdóttir is an Associate Professor of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Iceland. She teaches courses in Public Administration and Political Science and has researched political and organizational leadership, local governance and public administration. Her latest publication is Gender in Organization: The Icelandic Female Council Manager.