Local democracy
This section contains information relating to all aspects of lcoal democracy and good governance at the local level. The Commonwealth principles on good practice for local democracy and good governance - known as the Aberdeen Agenda - which have been adopted by all CLGF members and are incorporated in the Commonwealth Charter, set the framework for the promotion of local democracy in the Commonwealth. The materials in this section relate to the constitutional and legal provisions for local government and include a range of studies, policy and training materials on local elections, leadership, community participation, representative local government, local government management and partnerships between local government and other key stakeholders such as traditional authorities.
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Service delivery: focus on dipaleseng local municipality: Mpumalanga
The supply or lack of services impacts on people's quality of life, and so the Constitution of South Africa and other strategy documents emphasise the provision of services to all South African citizens irrespective of colour or creed. The services are vast and the responsibility for provision is divided between national, provincial and local authorities. This paper focuses on the delivery of services whose responsibility and accountability lies with the local municipalities, including: water; electricity; sanitation and refuse removal. The paper also explores the background to the recent unrest in the country with a focus on Dipaleseng Municipality, looking at its socio-economic situation, and challenges which include poverty, economic stability and provision of basic services. Sources of data include the South African media, journal articles, relevant documents, websites and databases.
Author: S'bonisile Zama Publisher: University of Technology Sydney Press Publication year: 2014
Social inclusion in North Sydney LGA
Social exclusion in the North Sydney local government area has increasingly become a matter for
concern in the last decade. In 2005/2006 local government community service referrals indicate that
there were growing numbers of people living on their own with little contact or engagement with
community services and social activities. It was also suggested that older people at risk of social
exclusion were living in poor housing conditions and experienced serious health issues. The ABS
2006 census data highlights that the North Sydney Council area has a significantly larger number of
people living on their own (33%) compared to the rest of New South Wales (22%).
This paper will present a number of different perspectives of social exclusion and consider why
people in North Sydney become isolated. It will provide a brief analysis of existing programs
designed to reduce social isolation and where they fit in the service system by using case studies of
people who have been identified as at risk of becoming socially isolated in the North Sydney area.
We will evaluate the case studies and provide several policy recommendations.
Author: Chris Taylor, Jed Donoghue Publisher: University of Technology Sydney Press Publication year: 2012
Women in charge: politics in a women majority local council in Australia
The article is based on a study of a local council in Australia where women representatives hold a majority of the seats. How do these representatives understand their role in this context? What is their preferred style of doing politics, and what can explain their political aims and behaviour?
What we find is that these women representatives are oriented toward green politics and prefer deliberative decision-making. This case study of a local council in Queensland suggests that the political objectives and style of women representatives largely reflect the specific local context, the electoral system and the political composition of the council, and not just the fact that women hold more than 70% of the seats. However, women representatives do feel that “numbers matter” for their ability to be acting out “who they are” in politics.
Author: Hilde Bjørnå Publisher: University of Technology Sydney Press Publication year: 2012
Place-based leadership in a global era
This article examines the major challenges now facing local governments across the world and advocates the development of a new focus on place-based leadership for local government scholarship and practice. The challenges facing local authorities are many, but they can be summarised in two words: globalisation and urbanisation. In response to these we have witnessed, in many countries, a shift from ‘local government’ to ‘local governance’. This shift is discussed, and it is suggested that new models of partnership working could, if handled in the wrong way, undermine local democracy. To combat this danger it is essential to give civic leadership far more attention – in the worlds of both academe and practice. A new way of conceptualising place-based leadership – one that identifies three ‘realms of civic leadership’ – is put forward. This model emphasises the role of civic leadership in shaping emotions and supporting public service innovation. To illustrate the argument an example of highly respected place-based leadership is presented. Freiburg, Germany is recognised as a very successful eco-city and the leadership model is used to help explain why. The article concludes with some reflections and pointers for research and policy. It is suggested that new forms of ‘engaged scholarship’ – approaches that bring together academics and practitioners to co-produce new knowledge about place-based leadership in an international, comparative perspective – should be encouraged.
Author: Robin Hambleton Publisher: University of Technology Sydney Press Publication year: 2011
Local government improvement in England: policies, progress and prospects
Whilst many countries have been devolving power to the sub-national level England has moved in the opposite direction. For the last decade English local government has been subjected to tight top down performance monitoring and financial controls. The evidence suggests that these policies have helped to encourage significant improvements in performance. However critics argue that they have been costly to implement and have undermined local democratic accountability. In response to these concerns the current government has promised to sweep away external assessment in favour of self-regulation by councils and in-depth scrutiny by citizens. This ‘new localism’ poses important questions for both policy makers and researchers. In particular how far will the promised reforms actually go and what impacts will they have on the service standards?
Author: Steve Martin Publisher: University of Technology Sydney Press Publication year: 2011
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