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Defining a good governance assessment framework. Decentralisation and local governance Shipra Narang Suri International Consultant, OGC Stakeholders’ Consultative Workshop Amman 6-8 July 2010. Defining Decentralisation.
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Defining a good governance assessment framework Decentralisation and local governance Shipra Narang Suri International Consultant, OGC Stakeholders’ Consultative Workshop Amman 6-8 July 2010
Defining Decentralisation.. • Decentralization is primarily a national political, legislative, institutional and fiscal process. Can take different forms: • Deconcentration: Transferring responsibilities to field and subordinate units of government (no distinct legal entity). • Devolution: Transfer of competencies from the central state to distinct legal entities at lower level. Acknowledges the importance of local ownership and the need to adjust planning and resources allocation to specific local settings or priorities. Has the potential for downward accountability & active citizen engagement.
… and Local Governance • Local governance includes the processes by which public policy decisions are made and implemented, at the local level. Includes dialogue, negotiation, power relations between state, civil society and private sector.
Possible focus areas of any assessment • Decentralisation – Political, administrative, fiscal decentralisation; enabling environment (laws, policies) for decentralisation • Local governance – dimensions and determinants of governance at the local level, including (but not limited to) equity, effectiveness, transparency, participation etc.
Possible focus areas… [2] • Local democracy – Political and representative democracy, both de jure mechanisms/systems and de facto experiences • Local government performance – Outputs or results achieved by local governments in service delivery, income, expenditure
International agencies supporting LG assessments • UN-HABITAT – Urban Governance Index • UNDP – Methodological Guidelines for Local Governance Analysis • International IDEA – Local Democracy Assessment Guide • Tocqueville Research Centre & OSI - Indicators of Local Democratic Governance • Council of Europe – Guide for developing well-being/progress indicators with citizens • UNCDF – Assessments informing performance-based grant systems
Afghanistan Bangladesh Bosnia and Herzegovina Canada Chile Indonesia Macedonia Mongolia Nigeria Pakistan Philippines Sri Lanka Sudan Zambia Zimbabwe National Initiatives on local/ urban governance assessment
Urban Governance Index • Effectiveness • Equity • Participation • Accountability • (Security)
Urban Governance Index… [2] Sample Indicators included under Effectiveness • Local Government Revenue per capita • Ratio of actual recurrent and capital budget • Local Government revenue transfers • Ratio of mandates to actual tax collection • Predictability of transfers in local government budget • Published performance standards • Customer satisfaction survey • Existence of a Vision statement
Local Governance Barometer (LGB) • Effectiveness • Transparency and Rule of Law • Accountability • Participation and civic engagement • Equity
Local Governance Barometer (LGB) …[2] Sample Indicators included under Transparency and Rule of Law • The existence and application of an institutional legal framework • Citizen access to justice • The availability and access to information • Corruption incidence
Social Audit of Local Governance (Bosnia) Conducted through household surveys in three parts: • Basic household information • Respondents’ experience of 10 essential public services (housing conditions, local roads, transport, waste removal, water supply, sanitation, heating, electricity, health facilities, education – including pre-school education) • Local governance, focusing on local government authorities and citizen participation in the municipality. • The questions relate to the technical details of various services provided, citizens’ access and usage, and citizens’ satisfaction with service delivery.
GOFORGOLD (Afghanistan) • Provides snapshot of governance at sub-national levels • Uses seven ‘good governance’ themes – representation, participation, accountability, transparency, effectiveness, security, and equity • 25 indicators and 60 operational questions • Can be used to benchmark and monitor sub-national government performance, improve resource allocation • Can also help to identify good local governance and sustainable development practices.
Some key issues to consider • Purpose – Diagnosis & policy-setting, or capacity development & citizen engagement • Driver – Externally-driven or nationally-led • “Core” and “satellite” indicators • Type of data – Quantitative or qualitative • Type of results – Narrative “profile”, Scale or Index • Methodology – Consultant-executed or participatory