Poteete, Amy. 2004. "Is Decentralization a Reliable Means of Increasing Equity?." Presented at "The Commons in an Age of Global Transition: Challenges, Risks and Opportunities," the Tenth Conference of the International Association for the Study of Common Property, Oaxaca, Mexico, August 9 - 13.

Abstract

"Decentralization is widely expected to empower local people. Empowerment implies increased equity, at least in terms of decision-making authority. Is it reasonable to expect increased equity from decentralization? The devolution of authority inherently involves a rebalancing of power relations between the center/national and the periphery/local, but the effects on equity between and within localities are not obvious. As critics of community-based natural resource management point out, decentralization alone cannot overcome social structural inequities within local communities. Yet some forms of decentralization have improved the situation of marginalized groups such as women and the poor. This paper evaluates the effects of decentralization of natural resource management for four forms of equity: equity between localities; equity in the division of rights and responsibilities between community and national decision-makers; political equity within communities; and economic equity within communities. The review focuses on natural resource management for forests and wildlife, especially in Africa and South Asia."