WP 50: Fiscal Decentralization in Cambodia: A Review of Progress and Challenges

Author: Pak Kimchoeun - May , 2011

CDRI Working Paper Series No. 50.

Khmer, 40 pp. May 2011 (Download)

English, 40 pp. May 2011 (Download)

This paper found that local elections were more stable and the D&D reforms had increased trust between commune authorities and local people, however the performance of the social functions of communes was uneven. Limited fiscal decentralization allowed central agencies to have more resources and responsibilities and different actors were not well coordinated with three levels of fragmentation at policy level, implementation level and reform level. To achieve further democratic development and fiscal decentralization this paper suggested that the next step must be a gradual shift from fragmented approaches to a more coordinated one, with a long term vision, and expected challenges being realistically planed for through flexible sequence strategies. To tackle the fragmented nature of donor support which compounded the difficulty in linking decentralization to sectorial policy, fiscal decentralization in the future must be driven not only by the Ministry of Interior but also by sectors themselves.