Pacific \ 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.
Featured
Where are the Locals?
Localism is about citizens, not town halls. It engages, encourages and empowers citizens and their formal, semi-formal and informal groupings, street level to citywide, including not-for-profits. To be effective and constructive, citizen-centric localism needs to be bottom-up, not just top-down, driven by iterative interaction to fashion thought-through decisions. Digital technology enables this in ways not possible a decade ago. Local councils are the right level of government to develop and refine that interaction and thereby revitalise local – and in time national – democracy.
Author: Colin James Publisher: Policy Quarterly Publication year: 2019
Planning for the Public Benefit in the Entrepreneurial City: Public Land Speculation and Financialized Regulation
The redevelopment of Barangaroo, Sydney’s last vacant central city waterfront site, raised high expectations for the public benefits developers would provide in return. The story highlights the ways in which the entrepreneurial State’s conflict of interest in the redevelopment eroded the quality of the public benefits negotiated in return for a valuable public asset. In contrast to the previous redevelopment projects, the State used public land and its newly centralized regulatory powers to maximize public revenues from Barangaroo, prioritizing these over both the public’s interests and, on occasion, those of private developers.
Author: Heather MacDonald Publisher: Journal of Planning Education and Research Publication year: 2019
Key issues and challenges in stakeholder engagement in sustainability reporting: A study of Australian local councils
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the key issues and challenges that can affect the quality of stakeholder engagement processes and outcomes in relation to sustainability reporting.
Design/methodology/approach
Case study research was used to gain in-depth insights into the stakeholder engagement practices of three Australian local councils.
Findings
The findings of this study suggest that the effectiveness of stakeholder engagement can be undermined by certain difficulties and challenges faced by an organisation. These include limited resources, lack of commitment from internal stakeholders, political factors, heterogeneous concerns, inadequate representation and an unwillingness to engage.
Research limitations/implications
The study adds to the limited literature on stakeholder engagement in sustainability reporting specifically and on sustainability accounting and reporting in public sector organisations (PSOs) more generally.
Practical implications
This research provides practical guidance to government authorities on the challenges that need to be addressed to enable an effective stakeholder engagement process for sustainability reporting.
Social implications
Stakeholders have a critical role in holding organisations accountable and research into their engagement with these organisations has societal benefits.
Originality/value
This research while focused on the Australian context has international relevance as it provides unique insights into the stakeholder engagement process. The implications of this research apply to not just PSOs but also corporations that are grappling with the (difficult) process of effective engagement with stakeholders.
Author: Amanpreet Kaur, Sumit K. Lodhia Publisher: Emerald Publishing Publication year: 2019
Bad Governance and Corruption
Author: Richard Rose and Caryn Peiffer Publisher: Springer Publication year: 2018
Streamlining project management with Microsoft in the city of Stirling, Australia
Project management can be both complex and challenging. And when projects span multiple areas, are interdependent, and cost many millions of dollars, project managers play a mission-critical role.
Author: Microsoft Publisher: Microsoft Publication year: 2018