Resumo

JARAMILLO CARDONA, Martha Cecilia. La descentralización: una mirada desde las políticas públicas y las relaciones intergubernamentales en Baja California. Región y sociedad [online]. 2010, vol.22, n.49, pp.177-200. ISSN 2448-4849.

The objective of this article is to analyze the importance of decentralization and what it entails from a public policy and intergovernmental relations perspective. Based on research conducted between 2003 and June 2006 in Baja California, Mexico, the theoretical analysis focuses on showing that granting political autonomy to governments to ensure or improve public services is insufficient; it is also necessary to consider decentralization from other approaches because only then can opportunities be created for open relationships and joint decision-making by both the state and civil society to achieve common goals. On the one hand, decentralization presents local governments with an opportunity to design public policies in response to genuine regional needs; on the other hand, as a process, it contributes to the generation and establishment of coordinated relationships between different government levels.

Palavras-chave : decentralization; public policies; government programs; government; participation.