There is no normative general theory from which we can deduce what local government ought to be. Governance from below a theory of local government. In the last quarter century, many countries have engaged in the process of decentralization by transferring the responsibilities of the state to lower tiers. Enhancing efficiency in australian local government. Curtis 2003 describes the theory of ecolocalism as an economic theory compatible with sustainable ecological economics that focuses on localising economic activity. Local government administration in nigeria and the localist. The right to the city and its urban politics of the. I examine decentralization through the lens of the local dynamics that it unleashes. Local factors such as geography, the environment, economic opportunities and health can be better taken account of by local governments charged with making decisions that affect. Local government staff may not be given any independent authority to take. A particular advantage of local government lies in its ability to arrange for the provision of local public goods in line with local tastes and. There are three dominant schools of thought, which deal with the role and scope of local government.
This study was supported by the grantinaid for scientific research of the japan a society for the promotion of science jsps, adopted in the year 2009 under the title of local government survey in southeast asia. Exploring the nexus jide ibietan1, peter ndukwe2 abstract the main objective of this paper is to examine the nature and challenges of local government administration in nigeria using the localist theory as framework of analysis. Fiscal decentralization at local government of ethiopia. Local government is the system of locally elected members representing their communities and making decisions on their behalf. Kampala declaration on developmental local government. Olaiya obafemi awolowo university, nigeria abstract the paper assessed the performance of local government councils in nigeria, using the yardsticks of the rationale behind their creation and existing theories of local government. In democratic theory, local government exists for the sake of the individual and the individual does not exist to support the local government financially or otherwise.
Hence to understand decentralization we must first understand how local government works. This act shall be known and cited as the local government code of 1991. Summary theories of decentralization and local government brings fresh perspective to the debate and comparative analysis of vertical division of power. Theories of local government and politics springerlink. By focusing on marxist theory and its variations, particularly as applied to advanced industrial societies and contemporary welfare states, clyde w.
Normally, local government has general jurisdiction and. Critical theories of the state is a clear and accessible survey of radical perspectives on the modern state. Local government administration in nigeria and the. The theory and practice of local government reform, edited by brian e. Pdf theory, principle and practice of local governance in. Local government is at the bottom of a pyramid of governmental institutions with the national government at the top and intermediate governments states, regions, provinces occupying the middle range. Specific types of imbalance map into specific forms of government failure. Green city development tool kit green growth knowledge platform. In developing countries the role of lg local government is unlike in the. Much research on local government structure and behavior deals with issues related to size economies. Local government works at the front line, is closest to the people and can therefore identify and respond to development needs and gaps. Berry professor of geography university of chicago introduction the prosperity of the united states has reached an unprecedented level.
Strategies, models, and economic theories of development in rural regions by brian j. Using these insights, section 3 develops a theory of local government and derives predictions. Use the link below to share a fulltext version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Local government is a key part of the state and draws its mandate from its local democratic accountability. Among other theories, processbased change theories consider change as an ongoing process. Handbook of comparative public budgeting and financial management, edited by thomas d. Sep 01, 2015 using information on the municipal resources and the municipal provision of public goods, and applying a fully nonparametric approach to estimate local government overall efficiency, the analysis shows that more direct democratic activity is associated with higher government efficiency. Local government for ongoing endorsement and input into the programme. Malizia and feser 1999 emphasise the primary importance of supporting export activities of regional producers.
Early attempts in the late 1970s to theorize the nature of local politics and the state have been overtaken by the radical restructuring of the geography of central local government relations. A particular advantage of local government lies in its ability to arrange for the provision of local public goods in line with local tastes and preferences. History, theory and public policy this book is an overview of the history, theory and general policy of australian local government systems and its analysis. Scribd is the worlds largest social reading and publishing site. The book provides insights and support for academic professionals as well as for practitioners concerned with the management of e government programs.
Principles and theories of local government, economic. Theories of regional growth 12 trade theory 12 location theory 18 export or staple theory 19. In the constitutions of many countries a different approach can be traced which is based on the distinction between state power and local self government, ie the local government is taken outside of the state mechanism eg art. For example, school league tables, hospital star ratings, and various schemes for local government, such as comprehensive performance assessment cpa, have been introduced in the last twenty years or so. This article takes stock of key issues in the analysis of local politics and the state at the level of theory and practice. Governance from below a theory of local government with two. The object of local government is to serve individuals in communities. Council for local environmental initiatives icleilocal governments for sustainability. When the transition to democracy took place, south africa inherited a dysfunctional local govern. Local government exercises such power as in theory makes the local government a unit of permitted by the other spheres of the government, administration with defined powers and authority imbued especially the state government. The national effects of decentralization are simply the sum of its local level effects. Jan 25, 2000 the soft models of local economic growth and numeric surrogate variables raises fundamental questions about the adequacy, or even the appropriateness, of translating the dimensions postulated by the theories into measurable parameters, while remaining true and sensitive to the subtleties of those theories king et al, 1994. Decentralisation, local governance and development grin.
Barrow provides a more extensive and thorough treatment than is available in any other work. If some local body has it in its power to govern in a different manner from other local bodies, there we. Various theories have already been drawn upon, sometimes explicitly and on other occasions implicitly, throughout this book. This article examines the process of organisational change. I ought at the outset to brush aside one or two misconceptions that might arise from the title of this lecture.
A number of arguments suggest that local governments should be assigned adequate powers of local taxation to finance their expenditure responsibilities rather. It comprises 19 chapters organised into three sections. Theories of local government and application to australia. The future blackwell publishing ltd principles and.
However, the question of the most appropriate model for local governance remains contr. However, a substantial share of this research seeks to apply. Local government in australia history, theory and public. A second guideline was to include only that empirical and theoretical research which seeks to ascertain whether a sizecost relationship exists. Theoretical perspective of local government munich personal. Local government, local governance and sustainable development getting the parameters right introduction since 1994, south africa has experienced a steep learning curve with regard to institutional design in general, and local government in particular. Section 4 tests the predictions using econometric models of public investment and a database that comprises all bolivian municipalities. Principles and theories of local government by peter a. The focus of this paper is on cpa, the most important such scheme for local government.
The theories of decentralization and local government. Conceived in an international comparative context, primarily within the field of political studies, it also includes elements of economics and public administration. Local government, local governance and sustainable. According to sidgwick the term local government in a unitary state means organs which, though completely subordinate to the central legislature, are independent of the central executive in. Good government results when these three elements political, economic and civil are in rough balance, and actors in one cannot distort the others. Local government city councils are typically considered to be resistant to innovation and are relatively inert compared to other forms of organisation. Principles and theories of local government institute of economic. Since 1999 i have also been a senior lecturer at the local government administration programme at oslo college. Oct 05, 2020 the political theory of local government by w. Handbook of public budgeting, edited by jack rabin 49. The theory encompasses local currencies and regional food economies and all other local level.
Hardy wickwar, 1970, university of south carolina press edition, in english 1st ed. Local government is expected to provide more services, be innovative, and keep up with the increasingly sophisticated demands. The political theory of local government 1970 edition. Local government, local governance and sustainable development. Pdf the theory and practice of local government reform. Handbook of court administration and management, edited by steven w. Self government in a local community and democracy in a global society modern democratic theory pays considerable attention to local government and self government treated as important forms of implementing democracy on the whole. New era of local government affirmative litigation learn about the growing phenomenon of lawsuits brought by cities and counties seeking monetary recoveries for widespread harms allegedly traceable to claimed corporate misconduct, as well as the rise in affirmative litigation by municipalities.
New conceptions and governance practices in the italian peripheries. Theory suggests that devolution increases citizens influence over local officials, promotes productive competition among elected local governments, and. Applicability of lewins change management theory in. The growth pole theory links the exogenous development theories to the pure agglomeration models, while local regions factors link the endogenous development theories to local community ones. The national government has adopted policies to reduce the severity of cyclical. The future blackwell publishing ltd principles and theories. Introduction electronic government e government is the. Below the state governments lie the local government. Direct democracy and local government efficiency sciencedirect.
Local government associations and regional forums have an. Analysis of local government survey in southeast asia. Local community theories exogenousendogenous development theories territorial innovations theories source. These theories represent three different phases in the evolution of the concepts of local government. Performance measurement in local government thesis 1999. There must be a definite power to do things in a different manner from that followed in other area within the same area. The prime attribute of local government is the authority to endorse legislation in specific control and hence autonomy is enjoyed in a measured way. We are very grateful to a number of leaders from government, nhs, business and civil society who have contributed to the programme, and to the local government chief executives who offered their expert input, support and participation on the programme. This scheme, introduced in 2001, rated local governments. Local government administration in nigeria and the localist theory. Pdf theory, principle and practice of local governance. View enhanced pdf access article on wiley online library html view download pdf for offline viewing. Theories and concepts of local government free download as word doc. Local government is the government difference, responding to different needs, and realizing different aspirations.
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