Assessing the Challenges of Decentralized Governance: A Qualitative Literature Review

Decentralization has emerged as an important governance system that enables the central government to delegate powers to the regional level. It has been regarded as beneficial for developing countries; however, it carries negative effects as well. Accordingly, the present study aimed to review the literature on decentralized governance to identify the challenges that may hinder its implementation. The study has followed the PRISMA guidelines for reporting the search strategy, and 41 articles were selected from the Scopus database. The results indicate that decentralization creates tensions between the provinces and the central government, a lack of strategic clarity, imbalances in power, voice and information distribution, and poor access to resources. The issues identified in this study must be addressed to ensure the long-term survival of decentralized governance. This study significantly contributes to the literature on decentralized governance and highlights its potential challenges.