Rural territories in Tunisia to the test of communalization: complexity of the reform and political stakes

Abstract

Promoting local governance and strengthening terriorial collectivies are among
the major institutional reforms initiated in “post-revolutionary” Tunisia. This article
aims at exploring the stakes and implications of the extension of the municipal
status to rural areas. After having characterized the territorial division system and its
underlying logics, we examine their consequences with regard to the relationships
between the different scales of the territorial organization. In light of current
dynamics that characterize rural areas, we subsequently higlight the complexity and
the practical difficulties that the project of extension of the municipal organisation to
the whole country is likely to be faced with. The analysis concludes that the technocratic and bureaucratic conception that governs the design and implementation of
the reform is far from allowing for an effective participation of stakeholders and a
real empowerment of municipalities.