The Economic, Financial, and Administrative Obstacles to Administrative Decentralization in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq after 2014.

Abstract

Administrative decentralization has become one of the most important and successful organizational methods for administrative units in contemporary states, both simple and complex. This administrative organizational method is directly related to the issue of strengthening the mechanisms and means of democracy and meeting the requirements of material and moral human rights through the achievement, development, and prosperity of the administrative unit, its organized planning, and the optimal investment of its diverse internal resources. In this context, there are various obstacles and challenges that lead to the lack of proper implementation of this administrative decentralization. Therefore, this study seeks to identify and analyze the obstacles facing the implementation of administrative decentralization in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq after 2014. Despite the region's adoption of this administrative method, what we observe on the ground is the presence of numerous obstacles that have hindered the achievement of its goals, particularly in the economic, financial, and administrative fields. The study begins with a central problem represented by the question of the most prominent obstacles that prevent the effective implementation of decentralization. Adopting a descriptive-analytical approach, the study aims to describe administrative decentralization in the region, analyze its shortcomings and obstacles, and then shed light on the reasons for the weak effectiveness of administrative decentralization in the region and the resulting negative impacts on development. The study ultimately concluded that a single economy, financial corruption, the absence of a general budget, the dominance of bureaucracy, and the weak efficiency of human resources are among the most prominent challenges that have hindered the effectiveness of decentralization and negatively impacted the achievement of development.