Challenges of Local Administration Reform in Iraq: An Analytical Study in Light of the Amended Provincial Powers Law No. 21 of 2008

Abstract

Abstract

This research addresses the issue of local administration reform in Iraq through a critical reading of the legal and applied frameworks of the Law of Provinces Not Organized in a Region No. (21) of 2008 and its amendments, as it is the basic legislative framework that organized the work of local governments after 2003, and sought to consolidate the principle of administrative decentralization and enhance the role of provinces in managing their affairs. The research aims to analyze the extent to which legal texts are consistent with the requirements of practical application, and to reveal the most prominent challenges that faced the process of transferring powers from the federal government to local governments, whether at the legal, administrative or political level. The research adopted the descriptive-analytical approach, through the analysis of relevant constitutional and legal texts, and by utilizing academic studies and official reports to diagnose the reality of local administration in Iraq. The research concluded that the application of administrative decentralization still suffers from a clear gap between the legal text and the executive reality, as a result of the ambiguity of some texts, the conflict of powers between the center and the governorates, the weakness of the institutional and administrative capacities of local governments, as well as the influence of political factors on the course of administrative reform. The research was organized into three main chapters. The first dealt with the conceptual framework of local administration and administrative reform, the second focused on analyzing Law No. 21 of 2008, while the third chapter discussed the most prominent challenges that faced the application of the law on the ground.The research concludes by presenting a set of recommendations and future proposals aimed at supporting the reform of local administration in Iraq, and enhancing the effectiveness of local governments in a way that contributes to improving the level of services and achieving sustainable local development. Keywords: Local Administration, Law No. 21 of 2008, Decentralization, Administrative Reform, Iraq