Tackling regional inequalities in Tunisia

Tunisia’s new constitution aims for more equitable distribution of prosperity and opportunities across regions. This is hampered, however, by both structural and political constraints. The country's current decentralisation policies have hindered emergence of ‘developmental’ subnational actors with sufficient autonomy and accountability to catalyse local-level development. This paper addresses decentralisation as a political process of empowerment of citizens and local authorities. It argues that, especially in view of the need to reduce regional inequalities and improve social cohesion in Tunisia, a territorial approach to local development could be as much a bottom-up process as a matter of centrally-driven political reform.