Commonwealth Journal of Local Governance

Commonwealth Caribbean Cities, Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience: Empowering Local Government

Michelle Mycoo — 2024-10-09

Cities of Small Island Developing States face unprecedented challenges in climate change adaptation with local governments in these territories being increasingly called upon to respond to related natural hazards and deploy resources for planning, preparedness, emergency efforts and post-recovery initiatives in their communities. So far, very little research has been conducted on the paramount role and capacity of local governments in Commonwealth Caribbean Small Island Developing States to undertake climate change adaptation in an urban context and as an integral pathway to disaster-resilient development. This study investigates local government’s role in responding to climate change adaptation and the challenges it faces in performing this function in Commonwealth Caribbean cities. The research distilled the inputs of mayors and local government experts using interviews and drawing from their inputs at a stakeholder workshop. The study’s findings indicate that local governments within the region face many barriers to execute climate change adaptation initiatives. The paper suggests an array of credible policy measures and action that may be undertaken to empower Commonwealth Caribbean local governments in implementing climate change adaptation to enhance climate resilience within local communities, including central government’s role as an enabler.

The unrealised potential of local institutions in Papua New Guinea: adopting a bottom-up approach to governance, rule of law, and peace and development

Shahar Shalom Yadin — 2024-10-09

According to the principles of the bottom-up approach to peace and development, true and sustainable development and social harmony can only emerge by individuals taking constructive actions towards peaceful individual and communal governance – something which each individual and each community must realise within themselves and on their own terms. Well-functioning local-level institutions can support this process. In the Papua New Guinean context, however, too little attention has been given to the most fundamental local institutions – the local-level government and the village court – which for the vast majority of people constitute the first point of contact with any formal political and legal system. This paper firstly reviews the operation, institutional framework and potential cooperation of these two local institutions, with a particular emphasis on those institutional aspects by which bottom-up development can take place and be strengthened and enhanced, leading ideally to empowered communities and increasing peace and prosperity. Secondly, it shows that the potential of both the local-level government and the village court is currently greatly unrealised. Finally, the paper aims to inspire, promote and demonstrate ways in which this potential can be realised, using two case studies and a discussion. It is believed that knowledge, awareness and realisation of such potential will promote a greater sense of individual, communal and social governance, and commitment to the rule of law, emerging from the bottom up and fostering social harmony.

Strengthening local autonomy in development: composite budgeting, expenditure planning and implementation in Nanumba South district, Ghana

Wisdom N-yilyari — 2024-10-09

Including local citizens in decision-making about the use of local resources is crucial to improving the generation of locally raised funds. This study illustrates the positive effects of composite budgeting – a participatory process – in meeting local people’s development interest and needs, and in promoting expenditure autonomy. Using a case study approach and drawing on both qualitative and quantitative data, the study found that Ghana’s system of district assemblies – which are largely made up of elected members – appears to be relatively successful in delivering the capacity and independence required to make funding decisions that benefit local people and the development of their area. The paper suggests a link between citizens’ confidence in the working of their assembly and their willingness to contribute to locally generated funds.

Making dysfunctional municipalities functional: towards a framework for improving municipal service delivery performance in South African municipalities

John Bester — 2024-10-09

Local government is underpinned by the principle that finding sustainable ways to meet the needs of communities through service delivery matters. Post 1994, the South African government opted for a ‘developmental’ local government system as a way of addressing the socio-economic challenges of historically disadvantaged communities. However, the scholarly discourse on service delivery in South Africa repeatedly highlights disappointing municipal performance. This study examined the need for performance evaluation of municipal service delivery in South Africa. Using a mixed methods approach and purposive sampling to collect data from 36 municipal managers of dysfunctional municipalities, the findings revealed that municipal performance was not evaluated satisfactorily; service delivery backlogs persisted and the impacts of deficient services on communities were not evaluated by either municipalities or communities. These findings justify a need for an effective evaluation framework for measuring municipal performance to assist municipalities to identify service delivery challenges and promote necessary change and improvement.

Constraints on property taxation in Malawi: insights from Zomba City Council

Caroline Chingamtolo — 2024-10-09

Low property tax collection rates are common in developing countries such as Malawi compared with developed countries – where property taxes account for over double what is prevalent in low-income countries. This paper presents findings of a study on constraints to property taxation in Zomba City, Malawi. The study employed structured questionnaires to interview 146 taxpayers identified through the snowball sampling technique. Qualitative data was collected from purposively selected key informants in the city council and government departments. The study found that the main constraints to property taxation in Zomba City are irregular property valuations, poor record keeping, weak enforcement mechanisms, a high non-compliance rate and negative taxpayers’ perceptions of public services. It suggests that automating the property tax collection system and building taxpayer confidence by demonstrably investing revenues in public services would increase property tax revenue for Zomba City Council, and that these lessons may have wider relevance.

Advancing local government in Pacific Island Countries: a practitioner reflects

Terry Parker — 2024-10-09

This paper presents the author’s reflections on efforts to advance the scope and role of elected local government in the Pacific Islands. It focuses primarily on the Commonwealth Local Government Forum Pacific Project, which has been operating since 2000, but also looks at broader issues around decentralisation and devolution, legislation and funding for local government, democracy and good governance, promoting better practice, sustainability and resilience, and the importance of a sound evidence base for developmental programmes and projects.

Implementation of Tanzania's Development Vision 2025: local government authorities' endeavours and challenges

Rogers Rugeiyamu — 2024-10-09

This paper contributes to the discussion of efforts made by local government authorities (LGAs) to execute Tanzania's Development Vision 2025. LGAs’ endeavours have revolved around the following areas: establishment of the Women, Youth and People with Disabilities Revolving Fund; the ‘opportunities and obstacles to development’ planning process for increased participation; conducting elections to increase accountability; the furtherance of good governance; and education and health services improvements. Despite their efforts, however, LGAs face continuing dependency on central government, poor capacity for economic management (including mobilisation and administration of revenues), failure to put policies and programmes into practice, deficiencies in governance and inadequate human resources. These have resulted in LGAs’ meagre contributions to Vision 2025 realisation, which have contributed to the country’s limited progress overall. While there is still one year left before the Vision’s 2025 time limit, LGAs will likely only contribute minimally until then. However, the government of Tanzania is in the process of creating a new Vision for 2050, and must ensure that LGAs participate effectively, by granting them autonomy, and effectively boosting their capacity to realise the projected Vision’s goals.

How effective are social accountability mechanisms in Bangladesh’s rural local governments?

Mohammad Nashir Uddin — 2024-10-09

Over the last few decades, governance systems across the world have prioritised citizen participation. Direct participation of the citizenry facilitates social accountability, which contributes to the advancement of good governance. In Bangladesh, following the success of donor-funded pathfinder projects, various social accountability mechanisms were legally mandated at the local level. This study examines the prescribed functioning of these mechanisms and compares this to actual practice. The study followed an explanatory, descriptive method for content analysis by reviewing relevant secondary literature. Key findings were: no practical guidelines exist in Bangladesh for managing social accountability mechanisms; citizens have limited access to information; local functionaries have insufficient understanding of their role; and social accountability has not been institutionalised. To ensure successful social accountability, it will be necessary to provide adequate guidelines, take financial and management factors into account, and make people aware of their rights. Government and NGO intervention on the demand side (local people) will be required to make this happen.

Engagement of local government to promote maternal and newborn health services: the case of Faridpur district in Bangladesh

Faridul Julfiker — 2024-10-09

In rural Bangladesh, local government institutions, especially union parishads, play a key role providing essential services for community development. They help connect people with primary healthcare, along with providing nutrition and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services that reduce the burden of poverty. However, most union parishad officials are not engaged in the promotion of maternal and newborn health (MNH) services in rural areas. Lack of information about their mandated role and responsibilities prevents them from providing MNH services for poor and marginalised communities. Even if they are informed, without the necessary skills to fulfil their role and responsibilities local government officials are struggling to promote quality MNH services within the public facilities in rural areas. To address this problem, Save the Children International engaged local government institutions in a systematic manner to ensure their engagement and contribution to MNH services for rural communities.

Review: Decentralised governance: crafting effective democracies around the world edited by Jean-Paul Faguet and Sarmistha Pal

Graham Sansom — 2024-10-09

The premise for this book is that for more than six decades decentralisation has been one of the most powerful reform movements across the world, and that – under the right conditions – decentralised systems produce more effective public services and are more democratic. However, despite the breadth and depth of the book’s analysis, this reviewer emerged little wiser about precisely what those ‘right conditions’ might be, and wondering how often decentralisation of some sort is the ‘right’ idea in the first place.

Review: Solved: how the world’s great cities are solving the climate crisis by David Miller

Randal Smith — 2024-10-09

This new, paperback edition of Solved by David Miller is a re-issue of the original published in 2020, with an additional chapter updating the reader on the urgency for cities to contribute to tackling climate change. Miller’s argument rests, essentially, on the theory of incremental gains. That is, when multiple small improvements are made in an iterative manner, big outcomes are the result. Simply put, it comes down to: Get on with what you can now and don’t wait for an all-encompassing solution that everyone agrees with. The planet is burning. Demonstrating that we can all play our part is the compelling argument of the book.