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Decentralization and Local Government in Sri Lanka

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Book cover Local Democracy and Politics in South Asia

Part of the book series: Urban Research International ((URI,volume 3))

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Abstract

The public debate over local government in Sri Lanka has been dominated by the ethnic conflict in the country. For the last 20 years efforts to change and reform local government in the country have focused on devolution as a means to provide increased representation for the Sri Lankan Tamil ethnic minority and resolve their demands for an independent state. As a result there have been few efforts over the last 15 years to improve local representation and development. Although there have been many changes in local government over the last 25 years, most have been cosmetic in nature, changing the names of offices and councils but having little impact on the power relations between the national government and local governments or in the efficiency of local government.

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© 2003 Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden

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Oberst, R.C. (2003). Decentralization and Local Government in Sri Lanka. In: Vajpeyi, D.K. (eds) Local Democracy and Politics in South Asia. Urban Research International, vol 3. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-663-10676-0_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-663-10676-0_6

  • Publisher Name: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-8100-3944-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-663-10676-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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