New publication in The Annals of Regional Science: “Asymmetric decentralization: nature and determinants”
María Cadaval-Sampedro has co-authored a new research article published in the international academic journal The Annals of Regional Science, published by Springer Nature, together with economists and researchers Santiago Lago-Peñas, Jorge Martínez-Vázquez and Ana Herrero-Alcalde.
Entitled “Asymmetric decentralization: nature and determinants”, the article examines the factors that explain the different levels of authority and autonomy across subnational governments. Although decentralization has become a central feature of governance reforms over the last five decades, its implementation rarely follows a symmetrical pattern across regions.
The findings show that, at the country level, ethnic fragmentation, population size and territorial characteristics are associated with higher levels of asymmetry. At the regional level, greater distance from the national capital and the presence of distinct linguistic identities are linked to higher-than-average levels of regional authority.
Publication details:
Lago-Peñas, S., Cadaval-Sampedro, M., Martínez-Vázquez, J., & Herrero-Alcalde, A. (2026). Asymmetric decentralization: nature and determinants. The Annals of Regional Science, 75, 115.
