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Spain is a remarkably complex country, due to the double decentralization. The first one is the decentralization from the central government to the autonomous communities. The second one is due to the division or institutional mitosis, that is, the deployment of numerous special purpose entities, with different functions, large staffing and increasing budgets. In this paper we analyze this latter phenomenon and the implications for public management and ex post auditing. Given its special interest, the paper focuses in the autonomous communities. It discusses the major theoretical and practical justifications and presents a detailed statistical panorama. The figures show a significant growth in instrumental public sector in Spain, as well as debt accumulation outside the scope of consolidation. In light of these results, some challenges to the audit institutions are suggested, with special attention to the monitoring of public debt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the institutionalization of policy analysis in Spain from 1975 to 2010 from a historical-bibliometric perspective. This study is based on a database of 209 articles (out of 3 098) published in five of the main Spanish scientific journals of sociology and political science. This process of diffusion was not homogeneous in terms of geographic spreading, research topics, analytical methods and theories. Finally, this investigation stresses the duality of this scientific field: on one hand, a part of Spanish policy analysis remains a parochial phenomenon; on the other, a set of authors participate actively to the international debates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]