Making local government work: The political economy of municipal governments in Mexico. The case study of Nayarit

Abstract

This papers aims to contribute to the understanding of the (causal) relation between decentralization, democratization and the institutional capacity and performance of local governments. Most of current literature points out the positive effects of democratic decentralization reforms in local institutions. However, there is an alternative body of literature around clientelism and mobilization as non-democratic practices that hinder local governance. Based on a unique case of a political electoral reform in the state of Nayarit in México, this paper discusses the political economy of local governments to disentangle the complex linkages between the change in the “rules” through political decentralization and the effects in the “results” by municipal government accountability and performance. Keywords: Decentralization, democratization, local government, clientelism, accountability, institutional capacity and performance