Decentralization encompasses both deconcentration and devolution.Deconcentration
refers to the redistribution of administrative responsibilities in central government
Devolution refers to the exercise of political authority by lay,elected,institutions within
territorial areas.In the UK, most of the reforms of the 1980s and 1990s sought to
deconcentrate managerial authority,for example to agencies, Devolution was a feature
of public sector reform elsewhere in Europe. With the advent of the Labour government,
devolution became a political priority in Britain.