Subject(s): Market decentralisation -- Economic development -- Africa -- Decentralization- definitions, theories and debate : Administrative decentralization, political decentralization, fiscal decentralization, economic /market decentralization, destabilize economic reform -- General structure of decentralization in Mali and Ghana : Mali- Political enviornment,constitutional reforms, power of community council, circle councils, regional assemblies, relationship between the central government and subnational governments. Ghana - political and economical context, current macroeconomic situation, current decentralization process, constitutional reforms and decentralization, configuration of local government and governance, local district finances and creation of a common fund, influence of central government on local affairs -- General structure of decentralization in Burkina Faso and Benin -- General structure of fiscal decentralization in four African countries : Role of international development aid, fiscal decentralization in Ghana, district assemblies common fund, fiscal decentralization project -- Empirical evidence of fiscal decentralization in four African countries : Quality indicators of fiscal decentralization, quantitative indicators, subnational tax recovery/ authority, sources of local communities revenue, local community expenditure -- Macroeconomic impacts of fiscal decentralization : Statistics evidence on intergovernmental coordination failures -- Fiscal strngth of local communities, suggestions on improving intergovernmental fiscal coordination, local government borrowing capabilities, importance of associating local government to central government decision making process