Introduction

Abstract

Political decentralization in the Dominican Republic was initiated between 1994 and 2008: non-concurrent municipal elections were introduced, revenue-sharing for local governments was multiplied by twelve, and the capital city was subdivided. Moreover, a centralizing “Municipal League” was significantly weakened, and Participatory Budgeting was mandated within all towns and cities. There is a causal link between these steps and the existence, between 1986 and 2004, of a three-party system in Dominican national politics. Three way competition among parties created opportunities for a social-political coalition favoring decentralization to introduce limits on the central state’s power, utilizing the mechanisms of a centralized polity to change and reform it. The topics in the succeeding chapters are outlined.