Participatory Local Democracy

• Democratic: open elections are held for office at all levels of government
• Transparent: government actions, decisions and decisionmaking processes are open to an appropriate level of scrutiny by other parts of the government, citizens and, in some instances, outside institutions
• Accountable: mechanisms exist for citizens to intervene in the policy making process, and have means to redress instances of corruption
• Autonomous: local government has the power, capacity and flexibility to respond to social changes and demands, takes into account the expectations of civil society in identifying general public interest, and is willing to critically re-examine the role of government