Decentralization in Iraq : addressing the state-society Gap

Abstract EN

The implementation of decentralization in Iraq was asymmetrical, leading to different forms and paces of implementation.

comparing four cases of Basra, Kirkuk, Nineveh, and Sulaymaniyah indicate that these cases differ in their political autonomy in a way that lead to different forms of decentralization.

this paper argues that the higher the level of political autonomy from the federal government, the more efficient the governance model will be, and the more legitimate the system ;and the more legitimate a system can be, the more accountable elected officials will be.

therefore, this paper recommends reforming the institutional setup of decentralization by having districts, instead of provinces, as the building block of decentralization.