This article attempts a comparative exploration of center-local relationships as part of an effort to test the effect on public policy of concentration and devolution. To pursue these objectives, the research proceeds in two steps: (1) the identification of longitudinal pat terns of public sector concentration/devolution among 17 nations and (2) time series analy sis of industrial growth and social welfare progress associated with the temporal variation in public infrastructure. The results suggest that a nation's pattern of public sector evolu tion may be more of a determinant of policy performance than a nation's constitutional framework.