More civil society groups have stepped forward to schedule focus groups meetings to analyze participatory local democracy in their countries. More of those meetings have already been held, and we have received comments and reflections from organizations from Kyrgyzstan, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Sierra Leone. To read more about the latest focus group…
“Real development starts at the local level. Local authorities need skilled people to manage and deliver local services and to demonstrate leadership in community participation processes”. Based on that belief, The Hague Academy for Local Governance aims to develop the knowledge and skills of local government practitioners advising and cooperating with local authorities. They offer…
The debate on post-2015 agenda has been thoroughly underway as the Millennium Development Goals will expire in 2015. The United Nations Open Working Group (OWG) released a revised version of the Focus Areas document for the upcoming 11th Session which will be held on May 5th – 9th in New York. The Focus Area 16…
Since Brazil adopted a new constitution in 1988, a significant development of participatory institutions – such as participatory budgeting and a variety of policy councils – has been taking place to create opportunities for citizens to participate in policy making, implementation, and evolution. Are these participatory institutions actually making a difference? In the event “Social…
In the report launch event in Washington DC last year, we received suggestions to examine the literature of those who are skeptical or opposed to decentralization and to compile the evidence base that shows the advantages of decentralization to improved service delivery, reduced corruption and economic growth. We have organized a reference list of documents…
This year is critical for decentralization in Tanzania. In January 2014, President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania said, “Tanzania will have their constitution before the end of 2014, if all goes according to plan”. (Daily Monitor) The second draft of the Constitution was released to the public on the 30th of December 2013 by Tanzania’s Constitutional…
There is substantial evidence that basic public services and programs function inefficiently in India especially in the poorer states. The paper, “People’s Empowerment through Democratic Decentralization in India” (N.C. Saxena, 2010) examines the obstacles in the functioning of Indian panchayats (a political system of local government created in 1993) and makes recommendations for more effective…
We have launched our 2014 Participatory Local Democracy (PLD) Survey within the initiative to strengthen civil society’s engagement with local governance. Around the world, civil society groups are organizing discussions with government and other sectors to assess PLD in their country. Responses will be analyzed and released in our second report, “The 2014 State of…
“Self-assessing Sustainable Local Development: A Tool for Eastern Europe and Central Asia” is a guide to introduce the Self-Assessment Tool for Sustainable Local Development (SAT4SLD). The tool helps local actors assess their current status and make strategic plans for a more sustainable future by simultaneously addressing governance, socio-economic, and environmental issues. Four universal sustainable development…
The World Bank’s Open Budget Portal launched on December 2013 is a first-ever one-stop shop for accessing budget data worldwide. While most initiatives on open budgets center on availability of key documents, the portal focused on the quality of data dissemination and its analytical use for decision-making processes. The portal represents a starting point to…
