A mixed method approach to investigating how the local government negotiates its policy with the central government in developing countries: the case of Jordan

This research is concerned with bargaining power at the local administration level, with specific attention to the situation in Jordan. In response, this research paper tries to answer the question of how much bargaining power do governments exercise in Jordan and the factors that determine bargaining power in central-local government relations in Jordan. Concerning research methodology, this study uses a mixed-method approach (MMR), drawing on the experiences of questionnaires and interviews. The findings showed that, while negotiating with the central government, the local administration prefers a cooperative bargaining strategy, but the competitive bargaining method is the most common technique used in the Jordanian setting. Local administrations typically negotiate over policies to a certain extent, depending on a variety of factors, including economics, experience in local administration, and financial and fiscal conditions. Findings from qualitative interviews in addition to the quantitative data revealed conflicting opinions about how the local elites in the four governorates perceived the central government's deployment of a competitive bargaining strategy and how to respond to it.