The rise and fall of the national decentralized agencies in Colombia

In: Public administration and development: the international journal of management research and practice, Band 9, Heft 2, S. 129-146

Abstract

The public sector in Latin America has been characterized by the proliferation of national semi-autonomous bodies known as "decentralized agencies". This article focuses on such agencies in Colombia from the 1960s onwards, particularly in the fields of water and sanitation. The growth of "decentralized agencies" has been associated with problems of inefficiency, administrative confusion and problems of social and political unrest. Indeed, such contradictions have resulted in the issue of decentralization being placed on the political agenda