Recentralization Around the World

The 1990s witnessed a surge in decentralization, as national governments around the world sought to transfer responsibilities and prerogatives to regional and local authorities. The last two decades have seen a reversal of this trend, as national authorities have attempted to regain control over these decentralized tasks in a process known as recentralization. This book is one of the first studies to examine the process of recentralization in a global context.

Drawing on country case studies from around the world, including both developed and developing countries, and democratic and authoritarian regimes, the book assesses where and why recentralization has taken place, and what has contributed to its successes and failures. It also examines recentralization in key policy areas, including education policy, health policy and environmental policy. The overall aim is to provide readers with a conceptual and theoretical understanding of recentralization and its consequences, as well as a comparative global overview of common trends and key distinctions at national and regional level. The book will appeal to all those interested in public administration, comparative politics, political science and sociology.


Juan C. Olmeda is Associate Professor at El Colegio de Mexico, Mexico. His research interests include comparative federalism, sub-national politics and recentralization.

Alejandra Armesto is Professor at the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO), Mexico. Her research interests include sub-national policy, fiscal federalism, and political economy.