devolution, the transfer of power from a central government to subnational (e.g., state, regional, or local) authorities. Devolution usually occurs through conventional statutes rather than through a change in a country’s constitution; thus, unitary systems of government that have devolved powers in this manner are still considered unitary rather than federal systems, because the powers of the subnational authorities can be withdrawn by the central government at any time (compare federalism).
Throughout history, there has been a tendency for governments to centralize power. During the late 20th century, however, groups in both federal and unitary systems increasingly sought to reduce the power of central governments by devolving power to local or regional governments. For example, supporters of states’ rights in the United States favoured diffusing power away from Washington, D.C., toward state and local governments. This trend was also experienced throughout the world, though perhaps the two most notable instances of devolution occurred in France in the 1980s and the United Kingdom in the late 1990s.
Prior to the 1980s France was one of the most centralized states in the world. The national government in Paris had to give prior approval for all major decisions made by the régions, départements, and communes, ranging from their annual budget to the names of new schools or streets. As the size and responsibilities of subnational governments grew, however, most mayors objected to the centralization of power, known as the tutelle (“supervision”). To somewhat reduce the scope of power exercised by the central government, the socialist government of Pres. François Mitterrand (1981–95), through one of its first major pieces of legislation, dramatically expanded the authority of the three layers of subnational government and removed the tutelle from almost all aspects of policy making.
Devolution became a major political issue in the United Kingdom beginning in the early 1970s. Many people in Scotland and Wales began demanding greater control over their own affairs, a trend reflected in a rise in support for the Scottish National Party (SNP) and Plaid Cymru (Party of Wales). In 1979 the Labour Party government, supported by the SNP and Plaid Cymru as well as the Liberal Party, held referenda that would have devolved power, but they were rejected by voters in both Wales and Scotland (a majority of voters in Scotland actually favoured devolution, but the proportion did not exceed the two-fifths of the electorate required for passage). During the 1980s and ’90s, however, support for devolution increased in both countries, particularly because, despite the fact that voters in both Scotland and Wales elected Labour candidates to the House of Commons by an overwhelming majority, the national government in London was dominated continuously for more than 18 years by the Conservative Party (1979–97). When the Labour government of Tony Blair won power in 1997, it pledged to introduce another set of devolution proposals. Support for the scope of devolution differed in both Scotland and Wales and affected the proposals; Scotland was offered a parliament that would have the ability to pass legislation and set some of its own taxation rates, while the Welsh Assembly would have neither power and instead would be primarily vested with the ability to determine how legislation passed in London was implemented in Wales. On Sept. 11, 1997, voters in Scotland overwhelmingly backed the creation of a Scottish Parliament with tax-raising authority, and one week later Welsh voters narrowly approved the creation of the Welsh Assembly; both bodies began sittings in 1999. The 1998 Belfast Agreement (also known as the Good Friday Agreement) granted Northern Ireland its own parliament, restoring the political autonomy it had lost when direct rule from London was imposed in the 1970s. There were also proposals to introduce regional assemblies in England.
Devolution is viewed in many countries as a way to dampen regional, racial, ethnic, or religious cleavages, particularly in multiethnic societies, such as Sri Lanka and Indonesia. Devolution has also occurred in Finland, where the government has granted significant autonomy to the largely Swedish-speaking population of the Åland Islands; in Spain, where regional governments (particularly the Basque Country, Catalonia, Galicia, and Andalusia) have enjoyed extensive powers; and in Italy, where several regions have been granted “special autonomy” by the central government. See also home rule.