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doi:10.15678/ZP.2018.45.3.01
ZarządzaniePubliczne
PublicGovernance
No.3(45)/2018
ISSN1898-3529
AnthonyLevitas
Localgovernmentreformasstatebuilding:
WhatthePolishcasesaysabout“decentralisation”
Abstract
Objective:Since1990,PolandhasbecomeoneofthemostdecentralisedstatesinEurope.Localgovernmentsnow
controlathirdofallpublicexpenditures.Theyhavealsodeliveredthegoods,modernisingthecountry’sinfrastructure
andrestructuringitsschools.ThisarticleattemptstoexplainwhylocalgovernmentreformwassosuccessfulinPoland,
andwhatittellsusabout“decentralisation”elsewhere.
ResearchDesign&Methods:Historicalresearch,practitionerexperience,comparativeanalysis.
Findings:ThesuccessofPolishlocalgovernmentreformwasnotdueto“bottomup”accountabilityarisingfromeither
civicengagementorlocaltaxation.Instead,“decentralisation”waslargelyatechnocraticrevolutionfromabove.But
accountabilitywascreatedthroughanarrayofmezzolevelinstitutionsthattrainedandprofessionalisednewlyelected
localelites,whilealsoembeddingthemintheregulatorystructureofthestateandforcingthemtomonitorthemselves.
Implications/Recommendations:“Decentralisation”islessdependenton“gettingtherulesright”ormobilisingpopular
engagementthanitisoncreatinginstitutionsthatencouragepublicofficialstolearnfrom,andmonitor,eachother.
Contribution:Reappraisalofwhatneedstobedonetomake“decentralisation”work.Historyoflocalgovernment
reforminPoland.
Keywords:Localgovernments,Poland,decentralisation,fiscalfederalism,civilsociety
JELclassification:H1,H7,P3
Introduction
Inthe1980sand1990s,ascommunismcollaps-
edandauthoritarianregimestransitionedtowards
democracy,“decentralisation”rosetothetop
oftheagendaforgovernance.Andforamoment
everybodyseemedtoagreethatputtingpower
andmoneyclosertocitizenswasa“goodthing”.
AnthonyLevitas
BrownUniversity
WatsonInstituteforInternationalandPublicAffairs
111ThayerStreet,
BrownUniversity,Box1970
Providence,RI
USA
Butthirtyyears,andnumerousdecentralisation
effortslater,nobodyissosure.Nowthemore
frequentquestioniswhy,ifdecentralisationis
suchagoodthing,aretheresofewplaceswhere
ithasobviouslyworked?(Treisman,2007)
Here,Polandconstitutesanexceptionalcase.
Subnationalgovernmentscontroloverathirdofall
publicexpenditureandaremarkable70%ofpublic
investment.Theyhavealsodeliveredthegoods,
transformingthecountry’senvironmentalinfra-
structure,transportsystems,urbanspacesand,
perhapsmoststrikingly,itsschools.Indeed,Polish
schoolsnowranknearthetopoftheleaguetables
forqualityandequityasmeasuredbyinternational
tests(OECD,2009,2012).
ZarządzaniePubliczne/PublicGovernance3(45)/2018
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