This study describes these and other programs, examines their results, and identifies the factors affecting their implementation. It concludes by offering operational guidelines for designing and implementing future decentralization programs. The recommendations are mainly cautionary We suggest for example, beginning in a small way and expanding only carefully and incrementally realizing at the outset that progressive change will take a long time to achieve We suggest that decentralization places special and continuing demands on central as well as local officials None of these conclusions are surprising revelations, but they yield what we believe are basic principles for improving policy formulation and implementation.