Bolivia's Radical Decentralization (original) (raw)
Related papers
Decentralization and Democratization in Bolivia
2000
Bolivia’s decentralization under the 1994 Ley de Participación Popular (LPP) cannot be characterized as federalism or administrative decentralization. The Bolivian model demonstrates the importance of ideological discourse and the role of decentralization in democratization. The ideological and historical roots of Bolivia’s state decentralization explain its divergence from other decentralization strategies. Bolivia’s LPP includes citi- zen-initiated Organizaciones Territoriales de Base (OTB) which provide communal democratic control over municipal governments. This unique strategy makes Bolivia a possible case for emulation among other decentralizing (and democratizing) regimes.
DESIGNING REFORMS: DECENTRALIZATION PROGRAMS IN PERU AND BOLIVIA
Focusing on the interaction between political interests and technical criteria, this paper compares the design and early implementation of decentralization in Bolivia (1994- ) and Peru (2002- ). In this way, it illustrates links between the political context at the onset of decentralization and the depth and coherence of the decentralization programs that subsequently developed.
Public Organization Review
The demand for regional autonomy, which crystallised in the 1990s during municipal decentralisation, has profoundly marked Bolivia’s political history. This article examines the reorientation of the autonomic model since the 2009 Constitution. This “recentralisation” is explained by: (a) the political hegemony achieved by the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) and its consequences for local politics; (b) regulatory centralism, especially in the Ley Marco de Autonomías y Descentralización (Autonomy and Decentralisation Law); (c) fiscal inequality in the financing of the different Autonomous Territorial Entities; and (d) the malfunctioning of the model of intergovernmental relations.
SUB-NATIONAL AUTONOMY IN BOLIVIA Analysing the Reforms and Predicting their Consequences 1
2011
Bolivia recently implemented new reforms granting autonomy to departmental, regional, municipal, and indigenous and rural governments. What effects might these have on public investment patterns, government responsiveness, government fiscal relations, the sustainability of public finances, and political accountability? I examine autonomies in light of fiscal federalism theory, and evidence on the effects of Bolivia's 1994 decentralization. By submitting new reforms to the dual rigors of theory and evidence, we can try to arrive at contingent predictions of its likely effects. These allow us to make recommendations for adjustments that may strengthen democracy and give voice to the poor.
Does decentralization increase responsiveness to local needs? - evidence from Bolivia
2001
Bolivia's recent decentralization involved the creation of hundreds of new municipalities, devolution of substantial resources from central agencies to local governments, and the development of innovative institutions of local governance. Detailed study of investment sector-by-sector shows that objective indicators of need are the most important determinants of the changes in investment patterns that ensued throughout the country.