Federalism and Decentralization in the Middle East and North Africa: Types and Trajectories

Aslı Û. Bâli and Omar M. Dajani, eds., Federalism and Decentralization in the Contemporary Middle East and North Africa (Cambridge University Press, Forthcoming 2022).

30 Pages Posted: 11 Jan 2022

See all articles by Asli U. Bali

Asli U. Bali

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - School of Law

Omar M. Dajani

University of the Pacific - McGeorge School of Law

Date Written: August 1, 2021

Abstract

This conclusion synthesizes and reflects upon the case studies and comparative and theoretical contributions in our edited volume, Federalism and Decentralization in the Contemporary Middle East. Our cases are organized around three categories: first, relatively conventional decentralization initiatives in which reforms were adopted to improve governance; second, contexts in which decentralization has been contemplated as a framework for self-determination for the region’s stateless communities; and, finally, decentralization initiatives undertaken in the shadow of conflict and state fragmentation. In our concluding chapter, we develop theoretical insights drawn from the rich terrain for qualitative comparison across these three contexts. We offer reflections on key characteristics of the shared regional context and a typology of factors driving decentralization in the MENA region. We argue that an important contribution of the volume lies in identifying a broader array of motivations for, and actors driving, decentralization than currently reflected in the scholarly literature and in parsing the implications for the institutional design of decentralized government. We conclude the chapter by distilling patterns from the cases to identify distinct trajectories of decentralization that are evidenced in the MENA region and their entailments.

Keywords: federalism, decentralization, comparative law, Middle East, North Africa, Kurds, Palestinians, Sahrawis, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Israel, Palestine, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan

Suggested Citation

Bali, Asli U. and Dajani, Omar M., Federalism and Decentralization in the Middle East and North Africa: Types and Trajectories (August 1, 2021). Aslı Û. Bâli and Omar M. Dajani, eds., Federalism and Decentralization in the Contemporary Middle East and North Africa (Cambridge University Press, Forthcoming 2022)., Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3947268 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3947268

Asli U. Bali

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - School of Law ( email )

385 Charles E. Young Dr. East
Room 1242
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1476
United States

Omar M. Dajani (Contact Author)

University of the Pacific - McGeorge School of Law ( email )

3200 Fifth Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95817
United States

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