Party Alliances, the Municipios, and Decentralization

Nine crucial episodes in the maneuvering over decentralization are analyzed in detail. These include the establishment of non-concurrent elections, the election of a pro-municipal politician to lead the central state’s Municipal League, and the founding of a more autonomous Federation of Municipalities. In addition, combinations among parties led to two increases in revenue-sharing (1997 and 2003), and the capital city was sub-divided. A spontaneous local movement launched Participatory Budgeting (PB), which spread rapidly; important new laws also reduced the Municipal League’s power and made PB mandatory. The eff ects of these legal and policy innovations are evaluated, on the dimensions of institutional architecture, legislation, financial resources, and political momentum. The presence of shift ing party coalitions during this period is verified from relevant literature, and types of coalitions that may promote reform are distinguished. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.