Political Science PhD student Ieva Vezbergaite have been invited to International Political Science Association (IPSA) conference “Decentralization Policies: Reshuffling the Scene”. The invitation was passed through IPSA research committee of which Ieva is a member.
The conference will take place in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 7-10 May 2015 and Ieva is invited to present her research paper “Decentralization Policies, Subnational Autonomy and the Federal Executive Power: a Comparison of Brazil and Mexico.
Abstract
Decentralization is assumed to benefit subnational government by increasing its autonomy from central government. In this paper I challenge this assumption by arguing that decentralization can have mixed effects on vertical intergovernmental relations (nationa-subnational). By deconstructing decentralization into administrative, fiscal and political nature, and by identifying different patterns of fiscal and administrative decentralization, I examine decentralization policies in Mexico and Brazil. Although both countries were decentralizing, the nature of decentralization and pattern of it were very different and explain different intergovernmental relations resulting in both countries. Brazil’s decentralization led to increased subnational autonomy while Mexico’s decentralization preserved or even increased the federal executive power.