Decentralization and Malcontent
Binghamton University
Abstract:
Does decentralization affect the frequency of social and political unrest? Although some studies address this specifi c question in the context of ethnic or secessionist conflict, results are mixed and it is still unclear whether these findings generalize to more regular mobilizing tactics, such as protests, in the absence of group-based grievances. While satisfaction with governmental institutions via enhanced competition and `closer' governance is normatively implicit in almost any theoretical approach to political decentralization, we here argue that, ceteris paribus, the multiplication of elected governmental authorities via decentralization increases the potential opportunities to express disagreement with how things are managed. We test the main implications of our argument with an original protest event data in all world geographic regions from 1990 to 2010. We fi nd that, on average, countries with local political decentralization have approximately 33% more protest events per year, though this effect varies across levels of democracy.
Discussants:
Nils Metternich, University College London
John Reuter, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Chris Sullivan, Louisiana State University
Courtenay Conrad, University of California - Merced
OPSC Coordinator: Emily Ritter, University of California - Merced
Graduate Assistant:
Peter D. Carey II (University of California Merced)
