Penn IUR Postdoctoral Researcher Co-Authors New Policy Brief on Rethinking the Future of Decentralization and Multilevel Governance

On May 15, the Local Public Sector Alliance (LPSA) released a new policy brief, “Rethinking the Future of Decentralization and Multilevel Governance,” by Jamie Boex, Executive Director of LPSA, and Kimberly Noronha, Postdoctoral Researcher at Penn IUR and City & Regional Planning at the Weitzman School. The brief is an outcome of the 2026 Global Roundtable on Decentralization and Multilevel Governance held at NYU’s Wagner School in New York City, which took place at a moment of significant transition in the global development landscape.

LPSA and a broad coalition of partners—including the SDSN Global Commission for Urban SDG Finance, for which Penn IUR serves as Secretariat; the Forum of Federations; NYU’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and Center on International Cooperation (CIC); the Commonwealth Local Government Forum; the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD); United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG); United Nations Development Programme, and the World Bank—convened global thought leaders, practitioners, researchers, and policymakers to focus discussions on the role of inclusive and effective multilevel governance systems in enabling global stability, sustainable development, climate resilience, and stronger public financial management.

LPSA is a global professional network of advocates for inclusive and efficient decentralization, localization, and multilevel governance. To learn more and read the brief, visit https://decentralization.net/2026/05/rethinking-the-future-of-decentralization-and-multilevel-governance-2/.