The Chilean municipalities in the evolving national multi-governance system

This chapter provides an overview of Chile’s multi-level governance system, including its organisation, and of the decentralisation process in a historical perspective. It ends with an analysis of the role of municipalities in a changing institutional system, underscoring the challenge to transform Chilean municipalities from being mainly “public service providers” to genuine “local governments”. It is important to acknowledge the diversity of municipal realities and to reconsider the current uniformity principle by encouraging more asymmetrical approaches to local development.