The role of the state in a globalized world is increasingly challenged and constantly redefined by new localized and multi-polar pressures. Decentralization is often seen as a response to such pressures and a political solution to often complex development challenges, by bringing decisions and resources closest to the local communities. Often presented as the new "panacea", the debate on decentralization in developing countries is however at times ill-defined and victim of ideological bias. This book aims at analyzing the decentralization process in the developing countries, by combining...