The Social Science Library » Flexible Production and Political Decentralization in the Developing World: Elective Affinities in the Pursuit of Competitiveness?

Flexible Production and Political Decentralization in the Developing World: Elective Affinities in the Pursuit of Competitiveness?

Author(s)	Doner, Richard F.; Hershberg, Eric
Abstract	Three concerns motivate our exploration of linkages between economic processes and sub-national political interests and institutions. First, for reasons that we discuss later, localities and regions have become increasingly important units of analysis for studies of economic development. Second, attempts to establish or strengthen sub-national political institutions are evident across much of the developing world: Not only are local and regional governments assuming wider responsibilities, but in some countries there appear to be unprecedented efforts to make local authorities accountable to their constituents. Lastly, although these economic and political trends appear roughly simultaneous, there has been little effort to study whether they are linked, and if so, how. Thus, the literature on economic development is increasingly cognizant of the importance of local and regional networks for economic success, but it pays surprisingly little attention to the role of sub-national institutions or policies in fostering these processes. Nor does it address the role of emergent local and regional interest groups in establishing new policy-making institutions or creating new channels of political representation. This gap is especially striking in light of growing scholarly awareness of the trend toward political decentralization in much of the developing world (e.g., Aziz and Arnold 1996; Nohlen 1991; Garman et. al. 1996). Students of comparative politics have seldom placed these political reforms in the context of changes associated with the dynamics of economic development in an era of globalization. This article aims to stimulate thinking about such connections.
IssueNo	1
Pages	45-82
Article	Access to Article
Source	Studies In Comparative International Development
VolumeNo	34
PubDate	Spring1999
ISBN_ISSN	0039-3606
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Flexible Production and Political Decentralization in the Developing World: Elective Affinities in the Pursuit of Competitiveness?

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