Project title: Analysis on the Political Economy of Decentralization in Moldova;
Implementation period: March 15 – April 15, 2011;
Client: Development Alternatives, INC (USA);
Project goal: Prepare a written analytic document on the political economy of decentralization in Moldova;
Main activities:
- Analyzed Moldova political-economic country model to understand the general context of the decentralization reform;
- Identified key political, economic and bureaucracy players having a stake in the decentralization reform;
- Mapped out the decentralization stakeholders - analyzed how interests of various stakeholders correlate with the decentralization strategy drafted by Government;
- Considering the political dynamics and interests of various political and institutional players, evaluated how likely is the decentralization strategy to be implemented;
- Identified the national champions behind the decentralization;
- Wrote a study summarizing the findings and recommendations regarding how to optimally support decentralization in Moldova;
Main outputs and outcomes:
- Study “Political economy of decentralization in Moldova”;
Project impact:
The study presents key evolutions in the area of decentralization over the recent two decades in Moldova. It dissects the core interests of several political actors and shows how these interests are likely to shape the positions of political players regarding the decentralization; it does the same thing for national and international bureaucratic actors. The study mapped out 23 key stakeholders and details their key interests and objectives, levers of control they exert and benefits they have from current situation opposed to those expected from the forthcoming reform. The study then analyzes how the interplay of various interests is likely to affect the decentralization reform and concludes that one should expect a cautious approach rather than a maximalist scenario to play out. The study ends by making specific recommendations regarding the optimal strategy of supporting the decentralization reform in Moldova.