The Efficacy of Decentralization in the Republic of Macedonia

Rockel, Adam J. (2008): The Efficacy of Decentralization in the Republic of Macedonia.

Abstract

Decentralization has been an integral part of the political reform process in former socialist countries throughout Central and Eastern Europe. The rationale behind decentralizing government services and responsibilities to the local units of government is that they are closer to the clientele they serve and, therefore, can better understand their needs to respond more efficiently and effectively. Since gaining independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, the Republic of Macedonia has instituted a number of legislative changes that transferred a significant number of competencies from the central government to the municipalities. This study examines the decentralization process in the Republic of Macedonia and assesses whether the decentralization process has created local units of government that are more efficient, effective, and accountable. The study looks at the interaction between the central government and the municipalities to investigate the degree to which the proper competencies have or have not been transferred to the lower level of government.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Macedonia; decentralization; local government.
• Subjects: H - Public Economics > H7 - State and Local Government ; Intergovernmental Relations

References

Channel Research. 2007. Decentralization Policy Needs Assessment. www.channelreseach.org. Accessed 22 June 2008.

Congress of Local and Regional Authorities. 2007. Draft Recommendation 217 (2007) Local Democracy in “the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”. Strasbourg: Council of Europe.

Dunn, W.N. 1975. “Communal Federalism: Dialectics of Decentralization in Socialist Yugoslavia.” Publius: Federalism and Community: A Comparative View. Volume 5, No. 2. 127-150.

Eaton, Kent. 2004. “Risky Business: Decentralization from above in Chile and Uruguay.” Comparative Politics, Volume 37, No. 1, 1-22.

Feruglio, Nicoletta, Jorge Martinez-Vazquez, and Andrey Timofeev. 2007. Fiscal Decentralization in Macedonia: An Assessment. United Nations Development Program.

Grochowski, Miroslaw. 2001. Managing Urban Development in the Context of Public Administration Reform: The Case of Eastern Europe. International Journal of Public Administration. Vol. 24, issue 2, 143-161.

Herczynski, Jan, Warsaw University. Interview by author 29 June 2008, Cincinnati. Internet correspondence.

Horvath, Tamas M. (Ed.). 2000. Decentralization: Experiments and Reforms. Budapest: Local Government and Public Service Reform Initiative, Open Society Institute.

Kymlicka, Will. 2001. Politics in the Vernacular: Nationalism, Multiculturalism, and Citizenship Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Lang, Nicholas R. 1975. “The Dialectics of Decentralization: Economic Reform and Regional Inequality in Yugoslavia.” World Politics, Vol. 27, No. 3. 309-335.

Lapidoth, Ruth. 1997. Autonomy: Flexible Solutions to Ethnic Conflicts. Washington, D.C.: United States Institute of Peace Press.

Ohrid Framework Agreement. 2001. Skopje: Government of the Republic of Macedonia.

Rafuse, Robert W. 2000. Why Fiscal Decentralization in Macedonia? Skopje: USAID.

Ramet, Sabrina 2005. The Three Yugoslavias: State-Building and Legitimation, 1918-2005. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Rodden, Jonathan. 2004. “Comparative Federalism and Decentralization: On Meaning and Measurement.” Comparative Politics. Volume 36, No. 4, 481-500.

Rondinelli, Dennis A., John R. Nellis, and G.Shabbir Cheema. 1984. Decentralization in Developing Countries: A Review of Recent Experience. Washington, D.C.: World Bank.

Rosenbloom, David H. 1998 Public Administration: Understanding Management, Politics, and Lawin the Public Sector. New York: McGraw-Hill..

Sharma, Chanchal Kumar. 2006. “Decentralization Dilemma: Measuring the Degree and Evaluating the Outcomes.” Indian Journal of Political Science. Volume 67, No. 1, 49-64.

Shin, Roy W. and Alfred Tat-Kei Ho. 1998. “Strategies for Economic Development Under Decentralization: A Transformation of the Political Economy.” Handbook of Economic Development. Ed. Kuotsai Tom Liou. Orlando: University of Central Florida.

Steunenberg, Bernard and Nico Mol. 1997. “Fiscal and Financial Decentralization: a Comparative Analysis of Six West European Countries.” Public Sector Reform: Rationale, Trends, and Problems. Ed. Jan-Erik Lane. Thousnd Oaks: Sage Publications.

Todorovski, Ilija. 2001. “Local Government in Macedonia.” Stabilization of Local Governments. Ed. Emilia Kandeva. Budapest: Local Government and Public Service Reform Initiative, Open Society Institute.

Trogen, Paul C. 2001. “Devolution or Dissolution: Decentralization in the Former Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and the Russian Federation.” Handbook of Comparative and Development Public Administration. Ed. Ali Farazmand. Ft. Lauderdale: Florida Atlantic University.