“Particularly during political transitions, citizens are accustomed to the central state playing an outsized role in governance; the state has encouraged their passivity and even ignorance.... For decentralization policies to strengthen democratic governance, all must reconceptualize their relationship with each other and actively participate in governance.”

Policymakers and development practitioners often view decentralization as a path to increased political participation and social welfare. Decentralization, Local Governance, and Inequality in the Middle East and North Africa (University of Michigan Press, 2025) gathers new research on communities in Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, and Tunisia to explore the ways decentralization policies affect citizens’ everyday lives. 

Governance processes and outcomes vary significantly, even within countries. Focusing on changes on the ground since the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, this edited volume shows how citizens of the MENA region are experiencing decentralization locally today.

The book's chapters demonstrate the influences of individual factors like gender and education and local contexts—including relationships between central and local actors, how citizens engage in political processes, and whether representatives reflect communities' interests. 

The volume offers important insights into governance, participation, and representation in the MENA region and suggests new questions for researchers. Policymakers and development practitioners will find practical directions for program design and implementation.

“We call for close attention to the design of decentralization policies—considering local networks, social structures and institutions, and the resultant power balances, as well as education for citizens and officials alike to understand their rights and responsibilities,” write Lust and coeditor Kristen Kao (University of Gothenburg). “Only by unpacking governance at the local level can we understand how decentralization policies affect citizens’ lives and, ultimately, the welfare and stability of their nation-states and communities.”

The project was supported by the Hicham Alaoui Foundation. The introduction and chapter five are available in Arabic.

Ellen Lust joined the Einaudi Center as director in January. She is Einaudi's John S. Knight Professor of International Studies and a professor in the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy and Department of Government (College of Arts and Sciences).

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