The quiet revolution: decentralization and the rise of political participation in Latin American cities

Abstract

As if by unseen signal, toward the end of the 1980s scores of state governments in Latin America suddenly transferred money and decision-making power to local municipalities. At the same time, they allowed local governments to choose their leaders - mayors and council members - in free and open elections. The resulting revolution has been profound in its reach and stunning in the silent shift of power from central to local authorities. Tim Campbell traces the growth and effects of decentralization and democratization in Latin America throughout the 1980s and 1990s. He argues that these reforms, which are vital to long-term sustainable growth in the region, are in danger of being smothered by current policy responses of national and international institutions. His research, conducted over a ten-year span, counters conventional wisdom about the role of development banks in the process of state reform and offers timely insights into similar events now taking place in other parts of the world.

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