Local government occupies an enviable position on Caribbean policy agendas given generalised commitment to a comprehensive framework of state and governmental restructuring towards national development and in light of its strategic role in the quest for continuous improvement in public service delivery. Local government systems, where they exist in the region, continue to experience adjustments to their operations ranging from outright reform to administrative shifts, driven mostly by the governance imperatives. The lingering issues of local government autonomy; adequate financing; and the most optimal structure to facilitate direct interplay between community preferences and local policy, persist nonetheless. Lately, the principle of subsidiarity has entered the local governance debate as one that holds much promise for resolving the foregoing problems. This paper provides a less sanguine evaluation of the application of the principle of subsidiarity to local government operational reality in the Caribbean. Through institutional analysis it argues that subsidiarity offers a philosophical position and not an easily implementable practice. Rather it opens the door for a greater level of ambiguity to enter intergovernmental relations unless reformers become more definitive about the functional capacities of the different spheres of influence on local politics and policy and in particular about the competencies to be assigned between central and local governments. The overriding claim is that the principle of subsidiarity has little utility in the present context of weak political accountability and institutional capacity and where institutional incentives work against fundamental change. Among the recommendations it makes are that: (a) the transformative role of subsidiarity must be preceded by a change in attitudes, behaviours and political and policy outlook among the primary agents – local government, central government; local communities/civil society; (b) since application of the principle of subsidiarity has implications for the shape and content of future intergovernmental relations generally and there is greater possibility for local government responsibilities to increase, the critical institutional linkages must be contemplated; and (c) the design of new institutional-related incentives has to be accorded high priority to propel reforms unto a more sustainable path.

The University of the West Indies
Mona, Jamaica
Tel: (876) | Fax: (876)
Email: