Dynamics of decentralization in East-Central Europe. Definition, taxonomy, applications

Perennial on the agenda of post-communist governments, the subject of decentralization remains one pending clarification. The present paper represents an attempt at critically and comparatively examining the theoretical endeavors of conceptualizing and operationalizing the notion of “decentralization” and the realities described by such a process. Concretely, after establishing a comprehensible conceptual framework, which includes also taxonomies of decentralization and of the local administrative organization, the present study concentrates upon three case-studies, meant to illustrate a range of hypotheses about the fashion in which the dynamics of decentralization produce significant changes in the outlook (i.e. from priorities and contacts to interactions and values) of the local political elites.