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Decentralization, Local Government, and the Welfare State
Author(s) -
SELLERS JEFFEREY M.,
LIDSTRÖM ANDERS
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
governance
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.46
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1468-0491
pISSN - 0952-1895
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-0491.2007.00374.x
Subject(s) - decentralization , welfare state , local government , corporate governance , government (linguistics) , welfare , social welfare , state (computer science) , empowerment , democracy , central government , centralized government , economic system , economics , political science , public administration , economic growth , politics , market economy , law , linguistics , philosophy , algorithm , finance , computer science
Despite growing interest in decentralized governance, the local government systems that comprise the most common element of decentralization around the world have received little systematic attention. This article, drawing on the first systematic index of decentralization to local government in 21 countries, demonstrates a close relation between Social Democratic welfare states and an intergovernmental infrastructure that in important respects ranks as the most decentralized among advanced industrial countries. This empowerment of local government in these countries was less an outgrowth of Social Democratic welfare state development than a preexisting condition that helped make this type of welfare state possible.