Nonetheless, we believe that guarded optimism on the utility of decentralization in developing countries is justified. This conclusion is arranted by the number of cases in which small but clear-cut improvements have occurred as the result of decentralization programs. Indonesia's Provincial Development Program, Morocco's local government reform efforts to decentralize in Thailand, Pakistan, and Tunisia, and other cases, show perceptible improvements in resource distribution, local participation, extension of public services to rural areas, project identification and implementation, and employment generation