Decentralisation and local development in South East Europe

The post-communist states of South East Europe (SEE) have a strong commitment to decentralisation as a means to contribute to the consolidation of democracy, and to improve institutions for local economic and social development. However, the experience of transition in post-communist SEE has been to widen regional and local inequalities, creating a vulnerability of the affected regions to external shocks such as the recent economic crisis and consequent threats to political stability. This book explores the nature and effectiveness of policies of decentralisation and regional development in this less well studied part of Europe. It identifies the impact of decentralisation and regional development on spatial inequalities, and evaluates the policy responses in different political and institutional environments.