Devolutionism

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The political doctrine favoring the transfer of powers from a central national government to regional or local authorities
2. A belief or policy advocating that governing authority be handed down from the central state to subordinate regional assemblies
3. The advocacy of distributing political power away from a national capital toward devolved regional administrations

Etymology: "Devolution" comes from Latin "devolvere," meaning "to roll down," from "de-" (down) and "volvere" (to roll). Its earliest English senses were concrete and legal, describing property or rights passing down to a successor. The political sense, the transfer of powers from a central government to regional bodies, grew out of that legal meaning, and the image of authority rolling downward still lies behind it. Adding "-ism" turns the process into a doctrine or position: a belief that power should be handed down from the centre to regions or nations. The suffix is the familiar Greek-derived one used for systems of belief and policy, so the term names a political stance rather than the act itself. Its use is most associated with debates over regional government in Britain.