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

Tosun, Mehmet Serkan ; Yilmaz, Serdar

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: CROSS-COUNTRY REGRESSION;    DECENTRALIZATION;    EXTERNAL CONFLICTS;    INTERGOVERNMENTAL STRUCTURE;    OTTOMAN TAX SYSTEM;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-4774
RP-ID  :  WPS4774

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

This paper examines broadly theintergovernmental structure in the Middle East and NorthAfrica region, which has one of the most centralizedgovernment structures in the world. The authors address thereasons behind this centralized structure by looking firstat the history behind the tax systems of the region. Theyreview the Ottoman taxation system, which has beenpredominantly influential as a model, and discuss its impacton current government structure. They also discuss thecurrent intergovernmental structure by examining the typeand degree of decentralization in five countriesrepresentative of the region: Egypt, Iran, West Bank/Gaza,Tunisia, and Yemen. Cross-country regression analysis usingpanel data for a broader set of countries leads to betterunderstanding of the factors behind heavy centralization inthe region. The findings show that external conflictsconstitute a major roadblock to decentralization in the region.