Facilitating transitions from centralized to decentralized politics

Many analysts and Sahelian leaders argue that reforms are needed to create such regimes and to devolve many central government powers to such citizen-controlled municipalities. This essay begins with a discussion of the history and development of general-purpose local government in the Sahel. It then explains the logic of incremental institutional development, using Portugal"s structural decentralization program as a model. The next section addresses the issue of the proper scope and domain of state authority in the Sahel, and suggests it should be much more limited in the future. Two types of institutions should benefit from greater freedom -- special districts and nongovernmental organizations. The paper then explains how governments can recognize and work with informal public service institutions (e.g., parents" associations) to increase the supply of public goods and services. A case study is presented of a health regime operated collaboratively between the Government of Haiti and a nongovernmental organization. The report concludes that a devolved, polycentric institutional arrangement, coupled with privatization and deregulation, could bring new energy to the political economies of the Sahel. Includes bibliography.