Population as a Determinant of Local Outcomes under Decentralization: Illustrations from Small Municipalities in Bolivia and Mexico

Making Reform Work: Institutions, Dispositions, and the Improving Health of Bangladesh

“…Parry (1997) find that greater local government power over educational services improved educational outcomes. Rowland (2001) and Blair (2000) find that decentralization improved the quality of democratic governance achieved in both large cities and small towns. Eskeland and Filmer (2002) find econometric evidence that decentralization did lead to improvements in Argentine educational achievement scores.…”

Decentralization and Citizen Participation in Mexico

“…Few works, including that of Bazdresch Prada, 1994;Diaz Montes, Zafra, and Gonzalez Menchor, 1994;Cabrero, 1995;Rodriguez and Ward, 1995 mentioned small municipalities in México (c.f., Rowland, 2001). Of these studies, only Rowland (2001) was conducted in rural México, integrating all three areas of interest-decentralization, democratization, and governance.…”

“…Of these studies, only Rowland (2001) was conducted in rural México, integrating all three areas of interest-decentralization, democratization, and governance. However, Rowland's work accounted for the democratization of administrative decision-making through municipal use of COPLADEMUNs (Comités de Planeación para el Desarrollo Municipal), local planning meetings carried out with representatives of local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as well as neighborhood organizations and other civil associations.…”

“…However, Rowland's work accounted for the democratization of administrative decision-making through municipal use of COPLADEMUNs (Comités de Planeación para el Desarrollo Municipal), local planning meetings carried out with representatives of local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as well as neighborhood organizations and other civil associations. Moreover, although Rowland (2001) mentioned that "in México there is no single law which delineates the scope of citizen participation in local government, and each state may have its own mechanism to encourage it in its Constitution" (p. 1380), he made no reference of municipal use of citizen committees as a means of incorporating citizen input into decision-making processes. According to the literature, decentralization efforts in México were undertaken to democratize the government process and promote good governance.…”

“…The municipal council is composed of a group of trustees (regidores) and a syndic (sindico) in charge of municipal laws. Most council members are elected by the mayors' party slate, with a small fraction of members being selected from the highest vote-getting parties that lost the municipal seat during that term's election (Rowland 2001). Prior to the political opening in the country, "the council was basically a group of honorary posts, led by the mayor, used to reward loyal party service" (Rowland 2001(Rowland : 1378.…”