Guatemala Project

After decades of internal conflict and highly centralized government, the Republic of Guatemala is embarking on reforms designed to ease the social, economic, and political problems plaguing the country. A key priority is the gradual decentralization of selected government functions. The national government has enlisted the World Bank Institute to assist them. As part of this effort, the Capstone team researched best and worst decentralization practices in developing countries, focusing on some of the government’s immediate concerns: municipal credit frameworks, municipal classifications, and decentralization strategies. The team prepared policy briefs intended to help generate and guide dialogue on these topics among government officials.