Mody, Jyothsna2013-06-202013-06-202004-06https://hdl.handle.net/10986/14045While decentralization holds out the promise of increased flexibility and efficiency, the preconditions for realizing it are daunting. To draw lessons for productive decentralization in integrated river basin management, this paper surveys the decentralization experience in education, health care, roads, irrigation, and public infrastructure services. Case studies reveal that the prime focus in the design of a decentralized structure must be accountability, based on principles of subsidiarity, transparency, and allocation of property rights. While some debates are sector-specific, others, such as the need for political and financial accountability, the related data requirements, educating stakeholders and potential beneficiaries of the new system, and ensuring effective participation are true of decentralization wherever it is to unfold. In turn, initial conditions and the adaptation of political leadership to suit the historical context determine the success of decentralization. Four issues demand high priority in integrated river basin management. These are (1) overcoming financial inadequacy at the local level; (2) commitment to upgrading skills, particularly management skills, while also ensuring that the expertise accumulated in central bureaucracies is not dissipated; (3) assuring pre-reform beneficiaries that their rights would be protected; and (4) sustaining a long-term commitment to an inevitably slow and drawn out decentralization process. The main conclusions of the literature survey caution those who believe that decentralization is, in itself, a solution to problems of inefficiency and inequity in developing countries. Tradeoffs and tensions need to be reconciled (such as economies of scale versus local monitoring and integrated management or interregional equity versus local control).en-USCC BY 3.0 IGOADMINISTRATIVE DECENTRALIZATIONBARGAINING POWERBASIN AUTHORITYCENTRAL AUTHORITYCOMMUNITY PARTICIPATIONDECENTRALIZATION EFFORTSDECENTRALIZATION PROCESSDECENTRALIZED STRUCTURESDRINKING WATERECONOMIES OF SCALEEXPENDITURE POLICIESFISCAL DECENTRALIZATIONIRRIGATIONLOCAL GOVERNMENTLOCAL MONITORINGMUNICIPAL AUTHORITIESPRIVATE SECTORPUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERYRIPARIAN STATESRIVER BASINSRURAL WATERRURAL WATER SUPPLYSANITATIONSMALL-SCALE IRRIGATIONWATER ALLOCATIONWATER DISTRIBUTIONWATER LEGISLATIONWATER MARKETSWATER PRICINGWATER REQUIREMENTSWATER RIGHTSWATER SYSTEMSWATER USEWATER USE MANAGEMENTWATER USER ASSOCIATIONSWATERSHED MANAGEMENTACCOUNTABILITYADMINISTRATIVE SKILLSALLOCATION OF RESOURCESALLOCATION OF WATERASSETSAUDITINGAUTHORITYBUREAUCRACYCAPACITY BUILDINGCAPITAL MARKETSCATCHMENT AREACENTRAL GOVERNMENTCENTRAL GOVERNMENTSCENTRAL TRANSFERSCITIZENSCOMMUNITY PARTICIPATIONCONSTITUENCYCORRUPTIONCOUNCILSDECENTRALIZATIONDECENTRALIZATION PROCESSDECISION MAKINGDECISION-MAKERSDECISION-MAKINGDEVOLUTIONDISCRIMINATIONDISTRICTSDOWNSTREAM USERSDRINKING WATERECONOMIC ACTIVITYECONOMIC CONDITIONSECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTECONOMIC GROWTHECONOMIES OF SCALEELECTED OFFICIALSEMPLOYMENTENTREPRENEURSHIPEXPENDITUREEXPENDITURESEXTERNALITIESFEDERAL GOVERNMENTFINANCIAL ACCOUNTINGFINANCIAL ANALYSISFINANCIAL AUTONOMYFINANCIAL INFORMATIONFINANCIAL INSTITUTIONSFISCALFISCAL DECENTRALIZATIONFISCAL MANAGEMENTFLOOD CONTROLGARBAGE COLLECTIONGOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTSHEALTH SERVICESHOUSINGHUMAN RESOURCEHUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENTIMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIESINCOMEINSTITUTIONAL REFORMINSTITUTIONAL STRUCTUREJUDICIARYLACK OF ACCOUNTABILITYLEGAL SYSTEMLEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLIESLEVELS OF GOVERNMENTLOCAL ACCOUNTABILITYLOCAL BODIESLOCAL COMMUNITIESLOCAL GOVERNMENTLOCAL GOVERNMENT BUDGETINGLOCAL GOVERNMENTSLOCAL TAXMANAGEMENT OF WATERMANAGING WATER RESOURCESMUNICIPALITIESNATIONAL GOVERNMENTSNATIONAL LEVELNATIONAL POLICYNATIONSNEGATIVE EXTERNALITIESPANCHAYATSPARASTATAL ORGANIZATIONSPOLICY MAKERSPOLITICIANSPOLLUTIONPOLLUTION TAXESPOSITIVE EXTERNALITIESPRICE CEILINGSPRICE DISCRIMINATIONPRICE SETTINGPRIVATE GOODSPRODUCERSPRODUCTIVITYPROPERTY RIGHTSPROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTPROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTSPUBLIC ADMINISTRATIONPUBLIC FUNDSPUBLIC GOODSPUBLIC MANAGEMENTPUBLIC OPINIONPUBLIC SERVICEPUBLIC SERVICESQUALITY STANDARDSRECYCLINGREDUCTION IN PUBLIC SPENDINGREORGANIZATIONREPRESENTATIVESRESOURCES MANAGEMENTREVENUE COLLECTIONRIPARIAN STATESRIVER BASINRIVER BASIN AUTHORITYRIVER BASIN MANAGEMENTRIVER BASINSRIVERSSCARCE WATERSERVICE DELIVERYSERVICE PROVISIONSOCIAL SECTORSSOLID WASTESOLID WASTE MANAGEMENTSTAKEHOLDER PARTICIPATIONSTATE AGENCIESSTATE GOVERNMENTSTATE PLANNINGSUPPLYTAXATIONTECHNICAL ASSISTANCETRANSACTION COSTSTRANSPARENCYTRANSPORTUNEMPLOYMENTWASTE DISPOSALWATERWATER ALLOCATIONWATER DISTRIBUTIONWATER MANAGEMENTWATER PRICINGWATER QUALITYWATER RATESWATER SECTORWATER SUPPLYWATER USEWATER USERSWATER USESCLEAN WATER AND SANITATIONSDG 6World Bank10.1596/1813-9450-3346