Download or read book Decentralization Citizen Participation and Local Public Service Delivery written by Abraham Rugo Muriu and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Governments at central and sub-national levels are increasingly pursuing participatory mechanisms in a bid to improve governance and service delivery. This has been largely in the context of decentralization reforms in which central governments transfer (share) political, administrative, fiscal and economic powers and functions to sub-national units. Despite the great international support and advocacy for participatory governance where citizen's voice plays a key role in decision making of decentralized service delivery, there is a notable dearth of empirical evidence as to the effect of such participation. This is the question this study sought to answer based on a case study of direct citizen participation in Local Authorities (LAs) in Kenya. This is as formally provided for by the Local Authority Service Delivery Action Plan (LASDAP) framework that was established to ensure citizens play a central role in planning and budgeting, implementation and monitoring of locally identified services towards improving livelihoods and reducing poverty. Influence of participation was assessed in terms of how it affected five key determinants of effective service delivery namely: efficient allocation of resources; equity in service delivery; accountability and reduction of corruption; quality of services; and, cost recovery. It finds that the participation of citizens is minimal and the resulting influence on the decentralized service delivery negligible. It concludes that despite the dismal performance of citizen participation, LASDAP has played a key role towards institutionalizing citizen participation that future structures will build on. It recommends that an effective framework of citizen participation should be one that is not directly linked to politicians; one that is founded on a legal framework and where citizens have a legal recourse opportunity; and, one that obliges LA officials both to implement what citizen's proposals which meet the set criteria as well as to account for their actions in the management of public resources.

Download or read book An Assessment of Citizen Participation in Decentralized Service Delivery written by Diep Thi Ngoc Duong and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: My dissertation investigates the effects of citizen participation and subnational fiscal arrangements on the success of fiscal decentralization efforts in Vietnam. Using cluster analysis and regression analysis, I find that the success of decentralization efforts, explains not only by the degree of decentralized fiscal responsibilities and the proximity of local government, but also by the involvement of citizens in service delivery. I further identify that the sheer existence of participatory mechanisms in local service delivery does not promise better service provision. In some cases, participation may hurt such provision. My dissertation provides a unique glimpse into the effects of citizen participation in a highly centralized political system. The results of this dissertation contribute to the study of public governance in Asia and the broader comparative literature on decentralization.

Download or read book Public Participation and Innovations in Community Governance written by Peter McLaverty and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2017-07-05 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Focusing on case studies in areas which are undergoing major social and institutional transformation and/or which raise particular issues because of the marginal position of the areas within their nation-states, this book will be very useful for students and academics in areas such as politics, public administration, social policy and sociology

Download or read book Decentralization and Service Delivery written by and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2005 with total page 29 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dissatisfied with centralized approaches to delivering local public services, a large number of countries are decentralizing responsibility for these services to lower-level, locally elected governments. The results have been mixed. The paper provides a framework for evaluating the benefits and costs, in terms of service delivery, of different approaches to decentralization, based on relationships of accountability between different actors in the delivery chain. Moving from a model of central provision to that of decentralization to local governments introduces a new relationship of accountability-between national and local policymakers-while altering existing relationships, such as that between citizens and elected politicians. Only by examining how these relationships change can we understand why decentralization can, and sometimes cannot, lead to better service delivery. In particular, the various instruments of decentralization-fiscal, administrative, regulatory, market, and financial-can affect the incentives facing service providers, even though they relate only to local policymakers. Likewise, and perhaps more significantly, the incentives facing local and national politicians can have a profound effect on the provision of local services. Finally, the process of implementing decentralization can be as important as the design of the system in influencing service delivery outcomes.

Download or read book Vitalizing Local Government Performance Citizen Participation and Socioeconomic Development written by Ganesh Prasad Pandeya and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2024-03-21 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is about citizen participation and its effects on local planning and local accountability, showing how participation can improve local government performance. It addresses the rhetoric of citizen participation and its negative effects such as discrimination, exclusions, elite captures, clientelism, and shallow participation. Applying mixed-methods of analysis, the book argues that local government performance depends substantially on circumstances, especially the degree of citizen participation, level of socioeconomic development, and the achieved state of social mobilization. As participation takes place in diverse socioeconomic and cultural settings, merely reforming institutions to make participation more inclusive and democratic alone is not sufficient.

Download or read book Decentralizing Governance written by G. Shabbir Cheema and published by Brookings Institution Press. This book was released on 2007-08-01 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Brookings Institution Press and Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation publication The trend toward greater decentralization of governance activities, now accepted as commonplace in the West, has become a worldwide movement. This international development—largely a product of globalization and democratization—is clearly one of the key factors reshaping economic, political, and social conditions throughout the world. Rather than the top-down, centralized decisionmaking that characterized communist economies and Third World dictatorships in the twentieth century, today's world demands flexibility, adaptability, and the autonomy to bring those qualities to bear. In this thought-provoking book, the first in a new series on Innovations in Governance, experts in government and public management trace the evolution and performance of decentralization concepts, from the transfer of authority within government to the sharing of power, authority, and responsibilities among broader governance institutions. This movement is not limited to national government—it also affects subnational governments, NGOs, private corporations, and even civil associations. The contributors assess the emerging concepts of decentralization (e.g., devolution, empowerment, capacity building, and democratic governance). They detail the factors driving the movement, including political changes such as the fall of the Iron Curtain and the ascendance of democracy; economic factors such as globalization and outsourcing; and technological advances (e.g. increased information technology and electronic commerce). Their analysis covers many different contexts and regions. For example, William Ascher of Claremont McKenna College chronicles how decentralization concepts are playing out in natural resources policy, while Kadmeil Wekwete (United Nations) outlines the specific challenges to decentralizing governance in sub-Saharan Africa. In each case, contributors explore the objectives of a decentralizing strategy as well as the benefits and difficulties that will likely result.

Download or read book Citizens in Charge written by Isabel Licha and published by IDB. This book was released on 2004 with total page 393 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Takes a close look at people's involvement in the new framework of state decentralization. By focusing on the potential as well as the limitations of citizens managing local budgets, the goal is to improve the process of democratization of the state and society. The contributors explore the achievements of the process of decentralization, which is the backdrop for the emerging process of citizen participation in public decisionmaking at the local government level. The volume approaches this issue from a general perspective and up close through case studies. The broad perspective generates a framework for analytical understanding of fiscal decentralization and participation. The case studies highlight local experiences in East Asia - Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines - and Latin America - Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. Each case illustrates a particular leadership style and type of participation. Important similarities emerge in the areas of trust, political will, unity among actors, intergovernmental coordination, capacity of government and citizen organizations to generate participatory public policies, and redistribution of power and responsibility between the state and civil society."--Publisher's web site.

Download or read book Barrio Democracy in Latin America written by Eduardo Canel and published by Penn State Press. This book was released on 2010-01-01 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The transition to democracy underway in Latin America since the 1980s has recently witnessed a resurgence of interest in experimenting with new forms of local governance emphasizing more participation by ordinary citizens. The hope is both to foster the spread of democracy and to improve equity in the distribution of resources. While participatory budgeting has been a favorite topic of many scholars studying this new phenomenon, there are many other types of ongoing experiments. In Barrio Democracy in Latin America, Eduardo Canel focuses our attention on the innovative participatory programs launched by the leftist government in Montevideo, Uruguay, in the early 1990s. Based on his extensive ethnographic fieldwork, Canel examines how local activists in three low-income neighborhoods in that city dealt with the opportunities and challenges of implementing democratic practices and building better relationships with sympathetic city officials.

Download or read book Decentralisation Local Governance and Development An Aspect of Development written by Akampurira Abraham and published by Anchor Academic Publishing (aap_verlag). This book was released on 2013-09 with total page 37 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Communities need a holistic approach to address the problems that affect the people at the grass root. The planning of the direct beneficiaries involves decentralization in order to allow the lower power centers to widely take part in the development of society. Concerns of the grass root people form the need for decentralization and local governance. People’s involvement in the planning on the village level and all local government units, makes the identification and solving of the problem easier. High participatory levels of all the people especially the marginalized, encourages innovation to source for the appropriate solutions to the common problems that face society. It therefore calls a decentralized system that caters for the voters’ preferences while providing for their services. The people’s concerns call for local planning and the transfer of power to the public so that services are brought nearer to the people. This study will cover the aspects of local government and decentralization such as good governance, democratization, civil society, deconcentration, devolution and delegation, and its relation to the development of societies.

Download or read book Public Services Delivery written by World Bank and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2005 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This publication sets out a framework for analysing the performance of governments in developing countries, looking at the government as a whole and at local and municipal levels, and focusing on individual sectors that form the core of essential government services, such as health, education, welfare, waste disposal, and infrastructure. It draws lessons from performance measurement systems in a range of industrial countries to identify good practice around the world in improving public sector governance, combating corruption and making services work for poor people.

Download or read book Decentralization and Devolution in Kenya written by T. Nzioki Kibua and published by University of Nairobi Press. This book was released on 2008 with total page 19 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Efficient delivery of public services in Africa and other developing regions has for a long time been hindered by highly centralized government bureaucracies (Mwabu et al., 2001). In Kenya, several efforts have been made to reduce unnecessary layers of government to make service provision to the populace more effective. This book reports on recent decentralization and devolution innovations in Kenya. The volume is organized into three parts and contains a total of 12 chapters including the introduction. The chapters in Part 1 (Structures and Institutions) provide a comprehensive analysis of institutional and organizational environment in which decentralization and devolution reforms have been taking place over the last three decades. Part 2 (Principles and Processes) contains chapters that clarify decentralization and devolution concepts, with applications to selected local authorities. The chapters in Part 3 (Service Delivery and Financing) illustrate advantages of provision and financing of services at the local level, with a focus on the role of community participation in improving accountability and efficiency in resource use.

Download or read book Fiscal Decentralization written by Peter Friedrich and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Localizing Development written by Ghazala Mansuri and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2013 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the conceptual foundations of the participatory approach to local development, assesses the evidence of its efficacy, and draws key lessons for policy.

Download or read book The Imperative of Good Local Governance written by Joakim Öjendal and published by UN. This book was released on 2013 with total page 444 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a true state-of-the-art volume in the fields of local governance, decentralization, and local democracy. It summarizes many of the insights emerging from original research of the past decade. It is also a future-looking volume with explicit policy relevance, paving the way for innovative thinking, and acting, on the next phase of development in the field. In a unique way this book brings together authoritative contributions from authors who to a large extent have been defining the field for the last decade or more. It looks at how good governance is created from top-down and bottom-up perspectives, illustrated through a wide variety of case studies. The case studies were selected for their relevance to the theoretical perspectives offered, as well as for their paradigmatic power in the current global evolution of decentralized policies and politics. The volume concludes that overall, local development and local politics will not go away--it has a huge potential--but also that the field is full of unfulfilled promises, some of which could be remedied through the perspectives revealed in this volume.

Download or read book Decentralization for Development written by Shiva and published by Tredition Gmbh. This book was released on 2024-07-03 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This title offers a few advantages over the original: Devolution: A more concise synonym for "decentralization" that emphasizes the transfer of power. Progress: A stronger word than "development" that suggests tangible advancement. Local Voices: Places a clearer emphasis on the importance of empowering local communities. Global South: Retains the geographical focus on developing countries. The piece could delve into the challenges of development in the Global South: Top-Down Inefficiencies: Discuss how centralized decision-making can be slow and unresponsive to local needs. Limited Local Capacity: Highlight the challenges faced by local governments in some developing countries due to a lack of resources or expertise. The focus would then shift on the potential benefits of devolution: Empowering Local Leaders: Explore how devolving power allows local communities to choose their own development priorities. Increased Accountability: Discuss how local control over resources can lead to more efficient use of funds and improved service delivery. Community Ownership: Highlight how devolution can foster a sense of ownership and participation in development projects. "Devolution for Progress" suggests a few content directions: Successful Case Studies: Showcase examples of how devolution has led to positive development outcomes in specific countries. Building Local Capacity: Discuss the importance of programs that strengthen the abilities of local governments to manage devolved resources effectively. Citizen Participation: Highlight the need for mechanisms that encourage citizen engagement in local decision-making processes.

Download or read book Decentralization and Local Democracy in the World written by United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2008-11-04 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Decentralization and Local Democracy in the World' constitutes a global reference on decentralization by presenting the contemporary situation of local governments in all regions of the world. The report analyzes local authorities in each continent under three main themes: the evolution of territorial structures; responsibilities and power, management and finances; and local democracy. An additional chapter is dedicated to the governance of large metropolises, where rapid growth presents major challenges, in particular in the fast-developing countries of the South. This report also offers a comparative overview of the different realities concerning the state of decentralization, and how the basic indispensable mechansims for local democracy do, or do not exist in come countries. Relationships between the state and local authorities are evolving toward innovative forms of cooperation. In this context, the role of local authorities in the development of global policies is increasingly recognized. The first Global Observatory on Local Democracy and Decentralization (GOLD) Report is one of the main products of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG). The GOLD Report is the first of what will be a triennial publication. UCLG represents and defends the interests of local governments on the world stage, regardless of the size of the communities they serve. Headquartered in Barcelona, the organization's stated mission is: To be the united voice and world advocate of democratic local self-government, promoting its values, objectives and interests, through cooperation between local governments, and within the wider international community.

Download or read book Democracy and Decentralisation in South Asia and West Africa written by Richard C. Crook and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1998-12-03 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is an in-depth empirical study of four Asian and African attempts to create democratic, decentralised local governments in the late 1980s and 1990s. The case studies of Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Karnataka (India) and Bangladesh focus upon the enhancement of participation; accountability between people, politicians and bureaucrats; and, most importantly, on whether governmental performance actually improved in comparison with previous forms of administration. The book is systematically comparative, and based upon extensive popular surveys and local field work. It makes an important contribution to current debates in the development literature on whether 'good governance' and decentralisation can provide more responsive and effective services for the mass of the population - the poor and disadvantaged who live in the rural areas.