The multiple faces of recentralization: A typology of central-local interactions

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article seeks to provide a conceptual framework and a methodological apparatus for investigating conflicts between central and local governments. Our work is inspired by contemporary recentralization processes seen in Europe, which are motivated both pragmatically (to counteract the financial crisis) and ideologically (the “illiberal turn”). These phenomena refer to the broader concept of conflict of interest, which is at the core of democratic systems. We see the limiting the autonomy of substatal actors as a sign of democratic crisis. Although our study draws upon empirical phenomena observed in Poland, its ambition is to provide a universal framework to analyze central-local relations. By combining the theoretical distinction between different dimensions of the political universum, with the easy-to-operationalize variables that make up the Local Autonomy Index our paper proposes two typologies to capture, respectively, centralistic actions, and local governments’ reactions. These typologies can be used to map the patterns of central-local relations in particular countries, and facilitate comparative studies.