‘For too long, scholars, policymakers, and development practitioners have overlooked subnational governments’ crucial role in investing in citizens and infrastructure, responding to popular demands, and building legitimacy and political stability from the ground up. This Handbook is a timely and much-needed antidote. It casts a net that is both deep and wide, exploring issues as diverse as incomplete decentralization, political tensions, intergovernmental relations, and challenges to fiscal, political, and administrative autonomy. And it spans a huge geography, with 22 empirical chapters that cover both developing and developed countries across Latin America, Asia, Europe, and Africa. A must-read for both students and practitioners of governance.’