The Urban Institute (UI)
The Urban Institute (UI) is a nonprofit, independent policy and research organization established in Washington, DC, in 1968. Since 2000, UI has been responsible for implementing international technical assistance and training projects valued at over $150 million and is currently working in over 20 developing and transition economies across four continents. UI was originally established to investigate social and economic problems confronting the U.S. and the government policies and programs designed to alleviate them. During the past 20 years, UI has expanded its role to include analysis of analogous problems and policies in developing countries and transition economies and has implemented numerous projects in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, and Latin America. Through its work, UI has become internationally known and respected as an objective and non-partisan source of evidence-based research, analysis, and recommendations for informed policy deliberation and debate, as well as program design and implementation.
UI is recognized as being among the world’s leading institutions in providing technical assistance in decentralization and local governance. UI has worked on decentralization and capacity building in Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa. UI has become increasingly active in all aspects of decentralization/devolution, ranging from helping national governments develop and implement effective policies, to helping build capacity at the local level in infrastructure and municipal service delivery, public sector management, local governance, budgeting and financial management around the world.
