Design matters: Clear distribution of tasks and responsibilitiesThe decentralisation process often transfers tasks without clear guidance on how to distribute concrete tasks and responsibilities between national and local level. Unclarity in the division of tasks can blur accountability lines: Everybody and no one is responsible for the outcome. The principle of subsidiarity can guide the distribution of responsibilities to some extent. It says that tasks should be performed at the lowest possible level of state organisation. This also means that not all public tasks will be suitable to be performed at local level: For example, it would not make sense to decentralize the task of defining the curricula for primary and secondary schools to the local level, since the diversity of educational outcome between municipalities would not be desirable. However, it may make sense to decentralise the task of managing and maintaining schoolbuildings, if responsibilities, coordination and cooperation between duty bearers are clearly defined.
