Hostname: page-component-7bb8b95d7b-lvwk9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-09-09T18:25:31.107Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Administrative Unit Proliferation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2014

GUY GROSSMAN  and
JANET I. LEWIS
GUY GROSSMAN*
Affiliation:
University of Pennsylvania
JANET I. LEWIS*
Affiliation:
U.S. Naval Academy
*
Guy Grossman is Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Pennsylvania, 225 Stiteler Hall, 208 S. 37th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA (ggros@sas.upenn.edu).
Janet I. Lewis is Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, U.S. Naval Academy, 589 McNair Road Annapolis, MD 21402, USA (janetilewis@gmail.com).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Numerous developing countries have substantially increased their number of subnational administrative units in recent years. The literature on this phenomenon is, nonetheless, small and suffers from several theoretical and methodological shortcomings: in particular, a unit of analysis problem that causes past studies to mistakenly de-emphasize the importance of local actors. We posit that administrative unit proliferation occurs where and when there is a confluence of interests between the national executive and local citizens and elites from areas that are politically, economically, and ethnically marginalized. We argue further that although the proliferation of administrative units often accompanies or follows far-reaching decentralization reforms, it likely results in a recentralization of power; the proliferation of new local governments fragments existing units into smaller ones with lower relative intergovernmental bargaining power and administrative capacity. We find support for these arguments using original data from Uganda.

Type
Research Article
Information
American Political Science Review , Volume 108 , Issue 1 , February 2014 , pp. 196 - 217
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Anderson, Michael L. 2008. “Multiple Inference and Gender Differences in the Effects of Early Intervention: A Reevaluation of the Abecedarian, Perry Preschool, and Early Training Projects.” Journal of the American Statistical Association 103 (484): 1481–95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arriola, Leonardo R. 2009. “Patronage and Political Stability in Africa.” Comparative Political Studies 42 (10): 1339–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Asiimwe, Delius, and Musisi, Nakanyike. 2007. Decentralisation and Transformation of Governance in Uganda. Kampala: Fountain Publishers.Google Scholar
Awortwi, Nicholas. 2011. “An Unbreakable Path? A Comparative Study of Decentralization and Local Government Development Trajectories in Ghana and Uganda.” International Review of Administrative Sciences 77 (2): 347–77.Google Scholar
Baldwin, Katherine. Forthcoming. “Why Vote with the Chief? Political Connections and the Performance of Representatives in Zambia.” American Journal of Political Science.Google Scholar
Bardhan, Pranab, and Mookherjee, Dilip. 2006. “Decentralisation and Accountability in Infrastructure Delivery in Developing Countries.” The Economic Journal 116 (508): 101–27.Google Scholar
Bell, Andrew, and Jones, Kelvyn. 2012. “Explaining Fixed Effects: Random Effects Modelling of Time-Series Cross-Sectional and Panel Data.” Working Paper.Google Scholar
Bhat, Chandra R., and Sener, Ipek N.. 2009. “A Copula-Based Closed-Form Binary Logit Choice Model for Accommodating Spatial Correlation Across Observational Units.” Journal of Geographical Systems 11 (3): 243–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boone, Catherine. 2003. Political Topographies of the African State: Territorial Authority and Institutional Choice. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cammack, Diana, Golooba-Mutebi, Fred, Kanyongolo, Fidelis, and O'Neil, Tam. 2007. “Neopatrimonial Politics, Decentralisation and Local Government: Uganda and Malawi in 2006.” The Advisory Board for Irish Aid, Working paper 2.Google Scholar
Chabal, Patrick, and Daloz, Jean-Pascal. 1999. Africa Works: Disorder as Political Instrument. Oxford: International African Institute in association with James Currey.Google Scholar
Chanie, Paulos. 2007. “Clientelism and Ethiopia's Post-1991 Decentralisation.” Journal of Modern African Studies 45 (3): 355–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Conroy-Krutz, Jeffrey. 2013. “Information and Ethnic Politics in Africa.” British Journal of Political Science 43 (2): 345–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DENIVA. 2011. Dynamics of District Creation in Uganda. Technical report, Development Network of Indigenous Voluntary Associations (DENIVA).Google Scholar
Diaz-Cayeros, Alberto. 2006. Federalism, Fiscal Authority, and Centralization in Latin America. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Dickovick, J. Tyler. 2011. Decentralization and Recentralization in the Developing World. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press.Google Scholar
Eaton, Kent, Kaiser, Kai, and Smoke, Paul J.. 2010. The Political Eonomy of Decentralization Reform: Implications for Aid Effectiveness. Washington, DC: The World Bank.Google Scholar
Eifert, Benn, Miguel, Edward, and Posner, Daniel N.. 2010. “Political Competition and Ethnic Identification in Africa.” American Journal of Political Science 54 (2): 494–510.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
EPRC. 2010. Governing Health Service Delivery in Uganda. Research Report 1 Economic Policy Research Centre.Google Scholar
Falleti, Tulia G. 2005. “A Sequential Theory of Decentralization: Latin American Cases in Comparative Perspective.” American Political Science Review 99 (03): 327–46.Google Scholar
Fitrani, Fitria, Hofman, Bert, and Kaiser, Kai. 2005. “Unity in Diversity? The Creation of New Local Governments in a Decentralising Indonesia.” Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies 41 (1): 57–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fox, Jonathan. 2007. “Rural Democratization and Decentralization at the State/Society Interface: What Counts as Local Government in the Mexican Countryside?” Journal of Peasant Studies 34 (3): 527–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Francis, Paul, and James, Robert. 2003. “Balancing Rural Poverty Reduction and Citizen Participation: The Contradictions of Uganda's Decentralization Program.” World Development 31 (2): 325–37.Google Scholar
Gleditsch, Kristian Skrede, and Ward, Michael D.. 2006. “Diffusion and the International Context of Democratization.” International Organization 60 (4): 911–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Green, Elliott D. 2008. “Decentralisation and Conflict in Uganda.” Conflict, Security & Development 8 (4): 427–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Green, Elliott D. 2010. “Patronage, District Creation, and Reform in Uganda.” Studies in Comparative International Development 45 (1): 83–103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hale, Henry E. 2004. “Divided We Stand: Institutional Sources of Ethnofederal State Survival and Collapse.” World Politics 56 (2): 165–93.Google Scholar
Ichino, Nahomi, and Nathan, Noah. 2013. “Crossing the Line: Local Ethnic Geography and Voting in Ghana.” American Political Science Review 107 (2): 344–61.Google Scholar
Ilner, Michal. 1999. “Territorial Decentralization: An Obstacle to Democratic Reform in Central and Eastern Europe?” In The Transfers of Power: Decentralization in Central and Eastern Europe, ed. Kimball, Jonathan D.. The Local Government and Public Service Reform Initiative, 7–42.Google Scholar
Kasara, Kimuli. 2006. “Ethnic Beachheads and Vote Buying: The Creation of New Administrative Districts in Kenya, 1963–2001.” Mimeo, Columbia University.Google Scholar
Kasfir, Nelson, and Twebaze, Stephen Hippo. 2009. “The Rise and Ebb of Uganda's No-Party Parliament.” In Legislative Power in Emerging African Democracies, ed. Barkan, Joel D.. Lynne Rienner, 73–108.Google Scholar
Keefer, Philip, and Vlaicu, Razvan. 2008. “Democracy, Credibility, and Clientelism.” Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization 24 (2): 371–406.Google Scholar
Kessides, Christine. 2005. “The Urban Transition in Sub-Saharan Africa: Implications for Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction.” The World Bank, Africa Region Working Paper Series No. 97.Google Scholar
Kimura, Ehito. 2013. Political Change and Territoriality in Indonesia: Provincial Proliferation. New York and Oxon: Routledge.Google Scholar
Kraxberger, Brennan. 2004. “The Geography of Regime Survival: Abacha's Nigeria.” African Affairs 103 (412): 413–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lambright, Gina. 2011. Decentralization in Uganda: Explaining Successes and Failures in Local Governance. FirstForumPress, a Division of Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc. Google Scholar
Lindberg, Staffan I. 2009. Democratization by Elections: A New Mode of Transition. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Malesky, Edmund. 2009. “Gerrymandering—Vietnamese Style: Escaping the Partial Reform Equilibrium in a Nondemocratic Regime.” The Journal of Politics 71 (01): 132–59.Google Scholar
Mani, Anandi, and Mukand, Sharun. 2007. “Democracy, Visibility and Public Good Provision.” Journal of Development Economics 83 (2): 506–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manyak, Terrell G., and Katono, Isaac Wasswa. 2009. “Decentralization and Conflict in Uganda: Governance Adrift.” African Studies Quarterly 11 (4): 1–24.Google Scholar
Mundlak, Yair. 1978. “On the Pooling of Time Series and Cross Section Data.” Econometrica 46 (1): 69–85.Google Scholar
Nsamba, Morris A. 2009. “Breeding Fragmentation? Issues in the Policy and Practice of Decentralisation in Uganda.” Beyond Juba, Issue Paper No. 1.Google Scholar
Obwona, Marios, Steffensen, Jesper, Trollegaad, Svend, Mwanga, Yeko, Luwangwa, Francis, Twodo, Ben, Ojoo, Abel, and Seguya, Fred. 2000. Fiscal Decentralisation and Sub-National Government Finance in Relation to Infrastructure and Service Provision In Uganda. Report the World Bank.Google Scholar
Okojie, Christiana. 2009. Decentralization and Service Delivery in Nigeria. Technical Report 004 International Food Policy Research Institute.Google Scholar
Pierskalla, Jan. 2013. “Splitting the Difference? Elite Competition and District Creation in Indonesia.” Mimeo.Google Scholar
Riedl, Rachel, and Dickovick, Tyler. Forthcoming. “Party Systems and Decentralization in Africa.” Studies in Comparative International Development.Google Scholar
Snijders, Tom. A., and Bosker, Roel J.. 2012. Multilevel Analysis: An Introduction to Basic and Advanced Multilevel Modeling. 2nd ed. Los Angeles: Sage.Google Scholar
Stasavage, David. 2005. “Democracy and Education Spending in Africa.” American Journal of Political Science 49 (2): 343–58.Google Scholar
Tiebout, Charles M. 1956. “A Pure Theory of Local Expenditures.” Journal of Political Economy 64 (5): 416–24.Google Scholar
Tripp, Aili Mari. 2010. Museveni's Uganda: Paradoxes of Power in a Hybrid Regime. Boulder, London: Lynne Rienner.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
UN. 2008. State of the World's Cities, 2008/2009. Research report, United Nations Human Settlements Programme.Google Scholar
Van de Walle, Nicolas. 2001. African Economies and the Politics of Permanent Crisis, 1979–1999. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weghorst, Keith R., and Lindberg, Staffan I.. 2013. “What Drives the Swing Voter in Africa?” American Journal of Political Science 57 (3): 717–734.Google Scholar
Wibbels, Erik. 2000. “Federalism and the Politics of Macroeconomic Policy and Performance.” American Journal of Political Science 44 (4): 687–702.Google Scholar
World Bank, Independent Evaluation Group. 2008. Decentralization in Client Countries: An Evaluation of World Bank Support, 1990–2007. The World Bank.Google Scholar
Ziblatt, Daniel. 2004. “Rethinking the Origins of Federalism: Puzzle, Theory, and Evidence from Nineteenth-Century Europe.” World Politics 57 (1): 70–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: PDF

Grossman Supplementary Material

Appendix

Download Grossman Supplementary Material(PDF)
PDF 174.6 KB
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.