Revisiting Taxonomies: Local Governance in Quasi-Federal Systems

This chapter considers local government within quasi-federations, which are scattered across oceans and continents and are extremely different from one another. These comprise the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Comoros, Palau, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Pakistan, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iraq, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Cameroon. To this end, it begins by considering the politico-legal, geographical, and social contexts of quasi-federations, within which local government is set. It then focuses on the constitutional recognition of local government and the distribution of powers related thereto. On this basis, it examines forms (Sect. 4), functions, and finance of local bodies. Finally, it explores the forms of cooperation between local bodies and the other tiers of government.