devolve
v.v. to pass power or responsibility from a central authority to a local group. It can also mean to become worse or less important over time.
v. to transfer power or responsibility from a central authority to a local or subordinate body; to pass down in a hereditary line. In a negative sense, it describes a process of deterioration or a return to a primitive state.
The government decided to devolve more power to the local councils.
After the central government devolved control over education, each city began developing its own unique curriculum.
The once-thriving port city began to devolve into a series of isolated fishing villages as the main trade routes shifted further south.
Borrowed from Latin dēvolvō (“roll or tumble off or down”), from dē + volvō (“roll”).