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• Conyers, D. (1984). "Decentralization and development: a review of the literature." Public Administration & Development 4(2): 187.

As with so many terms in the social sciences, everyone knows roughly what 'decentralization' means, but defining it precisely presents problems because it can be used in a number of different ways and in significantly different contexts. Consequently, it is also difficult to define the boundaries of the literature on decentralization, and so to undertake any sort of literature review. Moreover, the difficulties are compounded by the nature of the literature, which is published in a variety of forms, many of which are not easily accessible, particularly outside their country of origin.