No. 18 (1990): Political and administrative decentralization

The welfare State, characterized by a strong interference and intervention in the economic and social fields, tended to promote policies aimed at strengthening national development through the creation of autonomous institutions in charge of performing specialized functions in specific services.

The proliferation of these bodies and the absence of balanced institutions of public power gradually led the Legislative to hand over more functions and powers to the Executive Branch, turning local governments into the appendix of this power, which led to the inactivity of the municipalities and the decline of the representative function of the communal interests.

The loss of local power and the lack of basic guidelines of the Legislative with respect to municipal autonomy, constitute fundamental factors of analysis that diagnose the local reality, necessary to propose the relative changes that such regime requires, and to make possible the relaxation of the centers of power, facilitating citizen participation.

On the other hand, the strengthening of the central level and the consequent weakening of political-administrative decentralization constitute current problems that require processes of change to promote important decentralization options to transform the state apparatus and achieve citizen participation in the management of public affairs.

The current social dynamics of Central American countries and the political opening, manifest a will to carry out processes that strengthen the faithful and democratic representation of local governments, by means of popular participation, as a response to the economic-social and political crisis.

From this point of view, the strengthening of local governments and political-administrative decentralization is currently expressed as the right and capacity of communities to order and manage an important part of the public affairs that concern them, within the framework of the law, under their own responsibility and for the benefit of their own localities.

It is in this context that ICAP dedicates this issue to political and administrative democratization and to Local Governments, to invite them to reflect on the problems and optional measures of practical action, for the benefit of the strengthening of citizen participation.