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Centralization, Decentralization, and Conflict in the Middle East and North Africa

Author

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  • Tosun, Mehmet Serkan

    (University of Nevada-Reno)

  • Yilmaz, Serdar

    (The World Bank)

Abstract

This paper examines broadly the intergovernmental structure in the Middle East and North Africa region, which has one of the most centralized government structures in the world. The authors address the reasons behind this centralized structure by looking first at the history behind the tax systems of the region. They review the Ottoman taxation system, which has been predominantly influential as a model, and discuss its impact on current government structure. They also discuss the current intergovernmental structure by examining the type and degree of decentralization in five countries representative of the region: Egypt, Iran, West Bank/Gaza, Tunisia, and Yemen. Cross-country regression analysis using panel data for a broader set of countries leads to better understanding of the factors behind heavy centralization in the region. The findings show that external conflicts constitute a major roadblock to decentralization in the region.

Suggested Citation

  • Tosun, Mehmet Serkan & Yilmaz, Serdar, 2008. "Centralization, Decentralization, and Conflict in the Middle East and North Africa," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4774, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:4774
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    1. Alberto Alesina & Enrico Spolaore, 1997. "On the Number and Size of Nations," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 112(4), pages 1027-1056.
    2. McLure, Charles E. Jr., 2001. "The Tax Assignment Problem: Ruminations on How Theory and Practice Depend on History," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 54(2), pages 339-364, June.
    3. Coşgel, Metin M. & Miceli, Thomas J., 2005. "Risk, Transaction Costs, and Tax Assignment: Government Finance in the Ottoman Empire," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 65(3), pages 806-821, September.
    4. North,Douglass C. & Wallis,John Joseph & Weingast,Barry R., 2013. "Violence and Social Orders," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781107646995, September.
    5. Jorge Martinez-Vazquez & James Alm (ed.), 2003. "Public Finance in Developing and Transitional Countries," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 2595.
    6. Panizza, Ugo, 1999. "On the determinants of fiscal centralization: Theory and evidence," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(1), pages 97-139, October.
    7. Mehmet Serkan Tosun & Serdar Yilmaz, 2010. "Centralization, Decentralization And Conflict In The Middle East And North Africa," Middle East Development Journal (MEDJ), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 2(01), pages 1-14.
    8. Arzaghi, Mohammad & Henderson, J. Vernon, 2005. "Why countries are fiscally decentralizing," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(7), pages 1157-1189, July.
    9. Metin M. Cosgel, 2004. "Efficiency and Continuity in Public Finance: The Ottoman System of Taxation," Working papers 2004-02, University of Connecticut, Department of Economics, revised Oct 2004.
    10. Pranab Bardhan & Dilip Mookherjee (ed.), 2006. "Decentralization and Local Governance in Developing Countries: A Comparative Perspective," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262524546, April.
    11. McLure, Charles E. Jr., 2001. "The Tax Assignment Problem: Ruminations on How Theory and Practice Depend on History," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association, vol. 54(n. 2), pages 339-64, June.
    12. Ebel, Robert D. & Yilmaz, Serdar, 2002. "On the measurement and impact of fiscal decentralization," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2809, The World Bank.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mehmet Serkan Tosun & Serdar Yilmaz, 2010. "Centralization, Decentralization And Conflict In The Middle East And North Africa," Middle East Development Journal (MEDJ), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 2(01), pages 1-14.
    2. Mainali, Raju & Tosun, Mehmet Serkan & Yang, Jingjing, 2022. "Fiscal decentralization, intergovernmental transfer reform and conflict in Colombian municipalities," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    3. Armey, Laura E. & McNab, Robert M., 2018. "Expenditure decentralization and natural resources," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 52-61.
    4. Mohammad Arzaghi & Andrew Balthrop, 2018. "No taxation, no representation: An investigation of the relationship between natural resources and fiscal decentralization," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 36(7), pages 1234-1255, November.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Fiscal decentralization; intergovernmental relations; Middle East and North Africa;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H77 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - Intergovernmental Relations; Federalism
    • H87 - Public Economics - - Miscellaneous Issues - - - International Fiscal Issues; International Public Goods
    • N45 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation - - - Asia including Middle East
    • O53 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Asia including Middle East

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