Formal decentralisation and the imperative of decentralisation 'from below': a case study of natural resource management in Nicaragua

This article argues that decentralization of natural resource management is a political process resisted by the central government due to the feared loss of power and/or economic resources to local governments. In Nicaragua, although the formal process of power transfers largely stagnated from 1997...

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Main Author: Larson, A.M.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: 2004
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/18977
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author Larson, A.M.
author_browse Larson, A.M.
author_facet Larson, A.M.
author_sort Larson, A.M.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description This article argues that decentralization of natural resource management is a political process resisted by the central government due to the feared loss of power and/or economic resources to local governments. In Nicaragua, although the formal process of power transfers largely stagnated from 1997 to 2003, decentralization ‘from below’ continued to advance thanks to political pressure from civil society and municipal governments and the increasing legitimacy of local authority. At the same time, many municipal governments have little interest in resource management where there are few apparent economic benefits. Local governments, too, however, respond, among other things, to pressure from constituents and NGOs to take on resource management initiatives. At both levels of government, local and grassroots processes are necessary conditions to make formal decentralization democratic and responsible.
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spelling CGSpace189772025-01-24T14:20:40Z Formal decentralisation and the imperative of decentralisation 'from below': a case study of natural resource management in Nicaragua Larson, A.M. decentralization natural resources local government governance This article argues that decentralization of natural resource management is a political process resisted by the central government due to the feared loss of power and/or economic resources to local governments. In Nicaragua, although the formal process of power transfers largely stagnated from 1997 to 2003, decentralization ‘from below’ continued to advance thanks to political pressure from civil society and municipal governments and the increasing legitimacy of local authority. At the same time, many municipal governments have little interest in resource management where there are few apparent economic benefits. Local governments, too, however, respond, among other things, to pressure from constituents and NGOs to take on resource management initiatives. At both levels of government, local and grassroots processes are necessary conditions to make formal decentralization democratic and responsible. 2004 2012-06-04T09:09:00Z 2012-06-04T09:09:00Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/18977 en Larson, A.M. 2004. Formal decentralisation and the imperative of decentralisation 'from below': a case study of natural resource management in Nicaragua . European Journal of Development Research 16 (1) :55-70.
spellingShingle decentralization
natural resources
local government
governance
Larson, A.M.
Formal decentralisation and the imperative of decentralisation 'from below': a case study of natural resource management in Nicaragua
title Formal decentralisation and the imperative of decentralisation 'from below': a case study of natural resource management in Nicaragua
title_full Formal decentralisation and the imperative of decentralisation 'from below': a case study of natural resource management in Nicaragua
title_fullStr Formal decentralisation and the imperative of decentralisation 'from below': a case study of natural resource management in Nicaragua
title_full_unstemmed Formal decentralisation and the imperative of decentralisation 'from below': a case study of natural resource management in Nicaragua
title_short Formal decentralisation and the imperative of decentralisation 'from below': a case study of natural resource management in Nicaragua
title_sort formal decentralisation and the imperative of decentralisation from below a case study of natural resource management in nicaragua
topic decentralization
natural resources
local government
governance
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/18977
work_keys_str_mv AT larsonam formaldecentralisationandtheimperativeofdecentralisationfrombelowacasestudyofnaturalresourcemanagementinnicaragua