anticentralization

Anticentralization is a political and organizational approach that resists the concentration of power in a single central authority and favors the dispersal of decision-making to local, regional, or non-state actors. The core idea is that local contexts, cultures, and needs are better served when authority is distributed rather than consolidated. This stance is often associated with principles of subsidiarity, devolution, and federal or confederal arrangements, but it also encompasses modern organizational practices that push decision-making down the hierarchy or into autonomous teams.

In governance, anticentralization seeks to create governance architectures where regions or municipalities retain substantial powers over taxation, legislation, and administration. Practically, this can take the form of devolution reforms, federal or confederal structures, or decentralized public services. In organizational contexts, it includes distributed leadership, cross-functional teams, and decentralized decision processes.

Supporters argue that anticentralization improves accountability, adaptability, and legitimacy by bringing policy closer to constituencies, fosters innovation through local experimentation, and reduces bottlenecks. Critics warn of coordination difficulties, inconsistent policy, duplication of effort, and potential regional disparities in resources or power. The appropriate balance between central and local authority is often debated and can vary by country, issue area, and historical context. Related concepts include decentralization, federalism, subsidiarity, and participatory governance.