The Developmental Role of Local Authorities: The Case of Tunisian Communes

The chapter provides a brief overview of the Tunisian decentralization model which features a single level of decentralized authority (the communes) with ill-defined prerogatives and few resources to drive local development forward. The latter was more the concern of the central government through its sectoral policies and deconcentrated administrations, without achieving, however, the expected results. The 2014 Constitution established a renewed constitutional framework for multi-level decentralization, structured around the principles of self- administration and participatory local democracy; this framework was subsequently spelled out in proper legal provisions (Code des Collectivitiés Locales of 2018), opening prospects for municipalities (communes) to be more active in promoting local development. However, communes will have to overcome countless obstacles of an institutional, financial, and socio-political nature if they are to fully assume their developmental function.