Local Government and Strategies for Decentralization in the "State of the Autonomies"

Abstract

The convergent forces of democratization, decentralization, the welfare state, and international integration have made Spanish local governments similar to their equivalents in other parts of Europe. Nevertheless, local governments are the most poorly defined part of the post-Franco puzzle of reform. This article traces the history and development of Spanish local government within the emerging state of the autonomies, and examines their ambivalent position and uncertain future. Despite the greater transformative emphasis on building federal arrangements through the autonomous communities, local governments play important roles in establishing self-rule and shared rule.