devolution

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

the transfer of specified legislative, executive, or administrative powers and functions from a central national government to subordinate territorial governments at the regional, provincial, or local level, creating a multilevel governance system in which different tiers of government exercise authority over different policy domains; devolution differs from federalism in that devolved powers are typically granted by and remain legally revocable by the central legislature rather than being constitutionally entrenched, and it differs from mere administrative decentralisation in that it involves elected subnational bodies with genuine political accountability; in the United Kingdom, devolution to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland created parliaments and assemblies with distinct legislative competences, while in Spain the autonomous communities have developed highly asymmetric arrangements