WHAT IS LOCAL

GOVERNANCE Dir. Jonas George S. Soriano

Development Academy of the Philippines

WHAT IS LOCAL GOVERNANCE?

What Is

A Local Government

Local Government

• Local government refers to specific

institutions or entities created either of

the following: 1) national constitutions; 2)

state constitutions; 3) ordinary legislation

of a higher level of central government;

4) by provincial or state legislation or 5)

by executive order; to deliver a range of

specified services to a relatively small

geo- graphically delineated area.

Created by National Institutions

Sweden

Denmark France

India Italy

Japan Brazil

by state constitutions

Australia United States

ordinary legislation of a higher

level of central government

New Zealand United Kingdom,

And most countries

by provincial or state legislation

Canada Pakistan

by executive order

China

Local Government

to deliver a range of specified

services to a relatively small

geographically delineated area.

Local Government

• Local governance is a broader concept and is

defined as the formulation and execution of

collective action at the local level. Thus, it

encompasses the direct and indirect roles of formal

institutions of local government and government

hierarchies, as well as the roles of informal norms,

networks, community organizations, and

neighborhood associations in pursuing collective

action by defining the framework for citizen-citizen

and citizen-state interactions, collective deci- sion

making, and delivery of local public services.

• Local governance, therefore, includes the diverse

objectives of vibrant, living, working, and

environmentally preserved self-governing

communities.

• Good local governance is not just about providing

a range of local ser- vices but also about preserving

the life and liberty of residents, creating space for

democratic participation and civic dialogue,

supporting market-led and environmentally

sustainable local development, and facilitating

outcomes that enrich the quality of life of residents.

To study governments, geographers

look at the following:

• Types – Who rules and who

participates.

• Systems – How the power is

distributed.

Why Do We Have Governments?

• All countries require governments to

function.

• Governments provide laws, structure,

public services, and national defense.

• There are different types of governments:

o democracies

o republics

omonarchies

o dictatorships

Systems of Government are based

on one question: How is the

power distributed?

• There are three ways

governments distribute power: oUnitary

oConfederation

oFederal

How Is Power Shared?

• Federal

• Confederation

• Unitary

Image from Center of Civic Education. 2008

Unitary

• One central government controls

everything.

• Power is not shared between states,

counties, or provinces.

• Examples : United Kingdom, France,

the Netherlands, Spain, and former

Soviet Union

Unitary Diagram:

Unitary Governments of the World (All countries in blue)

Confederation • Two Options:

o A. A voluntary or weak association of

independent states that agrees to follow a

powerful central government.

o B. Nations can choose to follow or not follow

the lead of the weak central government.

• Examples: Confederate States of America

( 1861-1865), European Union,

Switzerland

Confederation

Diagram:

Federal

• Power is shared by a powerful central

government.

• States or provinces are given

considerable self rule, usually through

their own legislatures.

• Examples: United States of America,

Federal Republic of Germany

Should the national government, state

government, or both have these powers?

List of Powers Shared in a Federal

Government Issue driver’s licenses Make laws for the

environment

Collect taxes Conduct elections

Create marriage laws Punish law breakers

Declare war Create standards for schools

Make agreements with other

countries

Defend the country

Coin money Protect citizen rights

Federal System

Diagram:

Federal Governments of the World

(All countries in green)

Written Summary: How is the power

distributed politically?

Image from Center of Civic Education. 2008

Primary Goals of a Desirable Local

Government System Royal Commission on Municipal Government in

Newfoundland and Labrador (1974)

Access • Access is about the “closeness” of residents

to their government and opportunities for them to make their views known to those elected. Municipal governments are held as more accessible than senior levels of government and more open to the

possibility of residents’ involvement. They are places of active democracy and residents’ empowerment. Ease of access and closeness, however, must be balanced with the need for effectiveness and efficiency.

Service • This goal area is about having the

administrative capacity to provide facilities and services in accordance with the needs and wishes of the local residents. The value of “closeness” and residents’ accessibility are diminished if there is not the

administrative capacity to deal with the issues that concern them.

Identity • This is about the ability of a governance structure to

preserve and even promote community identity or uniqueness. Real differences among municipalities provide for real choices for people as to where they want to live. While municipal government aims to reflect the uniqueness of the community it represents, it also shapes community identity. It must, therefore, evolve to account for a community’s changing identity or character, or risk becoming a barrier to that same community’s development. In effect, a local government is really a key instrument to serve a community in its development.

Representation • This goal is about local ownership of

decisions and the general responsiveness of the local government political process. Municipal governments are purported to provide greater local knowledge of the situations about which decisions are being

made. Local perspective, however, must be reconciled with the larger interest and not turned into parochialism.

Efficiency • This goal is about the relationship between inputs

and outputs. Efficiency deals with the quantity of

resources (physical, human and financial) required

to deliver a set of services. Efficiency is improved

when the same set of services can be delivered

with less resources

or when more services can be delivered with the

same quantity of resources. It involves financial and

structural aims, i.e., economies of scale and

coordination of services. Efficiency, however, should

not be the only deciding factor in adopting a local

governance structure.

Effectiveness • Effectiveness relates to the ability to

achieve both democratic and service

goals and objectives. However,

democratic and service goals must be

achievable with efficiency.

Effectiveness must, therefore, be

balanced with efficiency.

Self-reliance • This goal is about municipal government

independence in relation to the provincial

government. It relates to the ability of local

government to function independently of the

provincial government from a

legal, financial, and human resources standpoint.

This autonomy or independence, however, should

always be exercised in the broader context of the

provincial common interest and with a view to the

well being of other communities.

Simplicity • This goal relates to the ease of understanding of the

local government structure (this includes not only

municipal government itself but other governance

institutions such as special purpose agencies) for

residents as the voters/participants and as the

service users. Ease of understanding and clear

operational purposes are indicators

of effective local governance. Simplicity of

structures should not, however, stand in the way of

sound and effective local governance

organization.

Accountability • This refers to the degree to which responsibility for

action(s)- decision(s) can be identified/understood

and the extent to which officials assigned such

responsibility can be held responsible for their

action(s)-decision(s) or lack thereof. Lines of

responsibility must be relatively clear both internally

(among employees and elected officials) and

externally (in the eyes of voters). Multiple layers of

governance tend to muddy accountability. In other

words, it can become difficult for a citizen to

determine who is responsible for making a decision

and to whom a concern is to be expressed.

• Salamat Po