The volume addresses the effects of state decentralization policies in Germany, France, and Great Britain from a comparative perspective. The authors explore how the transfer of competencies impacts municipal task fulfillment. They demonstrate that the performance record varies in terms of efficiency, effectiveness, coordination, democratic control, and uniformity of implementation. This is explained by the specific characteristics of the tasks, the strategies of the actors, the particular form of decentralization, and the robustness of existing structures within the administrative systems.