Europe \ 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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Strengthening city leadership by introducing directly elected mayors is now firmly on the agenda in the UK. Several cities, including Bristol, Leicester, Liverpool, and London already have directly elected mayors. Manchester plans to introduce a ‘metro mayor’ in 2017, with the prospect of other cities to follow. Supporters claim that the mayoral model of governance can provide visible, accountable, and effective city leadership. Critics argue that the model can lead to an over centralisation of power, weakening the role of councillors, undermining confidence in local democracy.
Author: Sarah Ayres, Barbara Janke, Ben Harrison, David Sweeting, Thom Oliver Publisher: University of Bristol Publication year: 2016
Too often, government leaders fail to adopt and implement policies that they know are necessary for sustained economic development. Political constraints can prevent leaders from following sound technical advice, even when leaders have the best of intentions. Making Politics Work for Development: Harnessing Transparency and Citizen Engagement focuses on two forces—citizen engagement and transparency—that hold the key to solving government failures by shaping how political markets function.
Author: Stuti Khemani et al Publisher: World Bank Publication year: 2016
This paper discusses crucial aspects of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) through a comparison of two case studies: the SEA of the Torbay Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 (LTPT) published by Torbay Council,
and the Masterplan of the Port of the City of Cagliari, 2010 (MPPC) published by the
Autorità Portuale di Cagliari in Sardinia, Italy, to provide evidence and lessons of good
practice for both the UK and Italy. These include the assessment of:
i. the endogeneity of the SEA process’ with respect to the planning process;
ii. the sustainability and participation approaches;
iii. the way available alternative planning options are compared;
iv. the definition of the monitoring process.
The paper is based on an analysis of the written plans and their SEAs rather than a wider
trawl of sources, on the basis that the plan preparation process should be explicit within the
plan.
Author: Corrado Zoppi Publisher: University of Technology Sydney Press Publication year: 2012
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
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
