Understanding local governance: an international perspective

Wilson, Robert H.

doi:10.1590/S0034-75902000000200006

Abstracts

Enormous change and innovation in governmental practices are occurring throughout the world. Local governance, in particular, has become a concern in many countries. Processes such as redemocratization and decentralization and imperatives of international lending agencies have focused attention on developing good governance practices. Improvement in local government remains a high priority in most countries, but unless the relationship between citizens and government is more fully developed the actions of local government will not necessarily lead to improvement in the conditions of people's lives. This paper will explore the concept of governance and propose an analytical framework for the study of local governance in an international context. The article concludes with recommendations on strategies to improve governance systems and government performance.

Government performance; civil society; decentralization; local governance; redemocratization

Grandes mudanças e inovações estão ocorrendo nas práticas governamentais no mundo todo. Governança local, particularmente, tem sido uma preocupação em muitos países. Processos como redemocratização e descentralização e imposições das agências internacionais têm se concentrado no desenvolvimento de boas práticas de governança. Melhoria em governança local permanece uma alta prioridade na maior parte dos países, mas, a menos que a relação entre cidadãos e governo seja mais desenvolvida completamente, as ações do governo local não levarão, necessariamente, à melhoria nas condições de vida das pessoas. Este artigo explora o conceito de governança e propõe um instrumento analítico para o estudo de governança local em um contexto internacional.Ele termina apresentando recomendações sobre as estratégias para melhorar os sistemas de governança e o desempenho governamental.

Desempenho governamental; sociedade civil; decentralização; governança local; redemocratização

ADMINISTRAÇÃO PÚBLICA

Understanding local governance: an international perspective

Robert H. Wilson

Philips International Visiting Professor at the EAESP/ FGV, Mike Hogg Professor of Urban Policy at LBJ School of Public Affairs and Director of the Urban Issues Program at the University of Texas at Austin. E-mail: rwilson@mail.utx.edu

ABSTRACT

Enormous change and innovation in governmental practices are occurring throughout the world. Local governance, in particular, has become a concern in many countries. Processes such as redemocratization and decentralization and imperatives of international lending agencies have focused attention on developing good governance practices. Improvement in local government remains a high priority in most countries, but unless the relationship between citizens and government is more fully developed the actions of local government will not necessarily lead to improvement in the conditions of people's lives. This paper will explore the concept of governance and propose an analytical framework for the study of local governance in an international context. The article concludes with recommendations on strategies to improve governance systems and government performance.

Keywords: Government performance, civil society, decentralization, local governance, redemocratization.

RESUMO

Grandes mudanças e inovações estão ocorrendo nas práticas governamentais no mundo todo. Governança local, particularmente, tem sido uma preocupação em muitos países. Processos como redemocratização e descentralização e imposições das agências internacionais têm se concentrado no desenvolvimento de boas práticas de governança. Melhoria em governança local permanece uma alta prioridade na maior parte dos países, mas, a menos que a relação entre cidadãos e governo seja mais desenvolvida completamente, as ações do governo local não levarão, necessariamente, à melhoria nas condições de vida das pessoas. Este artigo explora o conceito de governança e propõe um instrumento analítico para o estudo de governança local em um contexto internacional.Ele termina apresentando recomendações sobre as estratégias para melhorar os sistemas de governança e o desempenho governamental.

Palavras-chave: Desempenho governamental, sociedade civil, decentralização, governança local, redemocratização.

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NOTES

1. Legitimacy itself is connected to governance. Hyden argues that four variables are prerequisites for effective governance, trust, reciprocity, accountability, and authority, can also be used to measure regime legitimacy. See Hyden, 1992, p. 12-15.

2. A group of writers holding this view is discussed in COLE, Richard L. Citizen participation and the urban policy process. Lexington, MA : Lexington Books, 1974. p. 2-4. See also BERGER, Peter L., NEUHAUS, Richard J. To empower people: the role of mediating structures in public policy. Washington : American Enterprise Institute, 1977.

3. For a discussion of one organization's strategy for developing social capital, see CORTES, Ernesto. Reweaving the fabric: the iron rule and the IAF strategy for power and politics. In: CISNEROS, Henry G. (Ed.). Interwoven destinies: cities and the nation. New York : WW Norton, 1993. p. 294-319.

4. The assumption is that local government does have decisionmaking responsibility for government action. If it does not, local governance cannot exist in a meaningful sense, as discussed above in relationship to the capacity of local government.

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COLEMAN, James. Foundations of social theory Cambridge, Mass : Harvard University Press, 1990. p. 300-321.
DAHL, Robert A. Democracy and its critics. New Haven : Yale University Press, 1989.
FOX, Jonathan. Local governance and citizen participation. In: WILSON, Robert H., CRAMER, Reid (Eds.). International workshop on local governance: second annual proceedings. Austin, TX : LBJ School of Public Affairs, 1996. p. 11-18.
GRAHAM, Larry. Summation of the issues and criteria in identifying good local government. In: WILSON, Robert H., CRAMER, Reid (Eds.). International workshop on good local government: first annual proceedings. Austin, TX : LBJ School of Public Affairs, 1995. p. 151-53.
LEFTWICH, Adrian. Governance, democracy and development in the Third World. Third World Quarterly: Journal of Emerging Areas, v. 14, n. 3, p. 610-12, 1993.
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HOWARD, Christopher, LIPSKY, Michael, MARSHALL, Dale Rogers. Citizen participation in urban politics: rise and routinization. In: PETERSON, George E. (Ed.). Big city politics, governance, and fiscal constraints Washington, DC : The Urban Institute Press, 1994. p. 153-199.
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Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
23 Sept 2011
Date of issue
June 2000

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

[1] ADVISORY COMMISSION ON INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS. Regulatory Federalism: policy, process, impact and reform. Washington, DC : Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, 1984.

[2] APPROACHES to the enhancement of government capacity and performance: panel IV. In: WILSON, Robert H., CRAMER, Reid (Eds.). International workshop in governance Austin, TX : LBJ School of Public Affairs, 1997. p. 59-70.

[3] BARBER, Benjamin. Strong democracy: participatory politics for a new age. Berkeley, CA : University of California Press, 1984.

[4] COLEMAN, James. Foundations of social theory Cambridge, Mass : Harvard University Press, 1990. p. 300-321.

[5] DAHL, Robert A. Democracy and its critics. New Haven : Yale University Press, 1989.

[6] FOX, Jonathan. Local governance and citizen participation. In: WILSON, Robert H., CRAMER, Reid (Eds.). International workshop on local governance: second annual proceedings. Austin, TX : LBJ School of Public Affairs, 1996. p. 11-18.

[7] GRAHAM, Larry. Summation of the issues and criteria in identifying good local government. In: WILSON, Robert H., CRAMER, Reid (Eds.). International workshop on good local government: first annual proceedings. Austin, TX : LBJ School of Public Affairs, 1995. p. 151-53.

[8] LEFTWICH, Adrian. Governance, democracy and development in the Third World. Third World Quarterly: Journal of Emerging Areas, v. 14, n. 3, p. 610-12, 1993.

[9] HALFANI, Mohamed. The challenge of urban governance in East Africa: responding to an unrelenting crisis. In: MCCARNEY, Patricia L. (Ed.). Cities and governance: new directions in Latin America, Asia and Africa. Toronto : Centre for Urban and Community Studies, 1996. p. 183-186.

[10] HOWARD, Christopher, LIPSKY, Michael, MARSHALL, Dale Rogers. Citizen participation in urban politics: rise and routinization. In: PETERSON, George E. (Ed.). Big city politics, governance, and fiscal constraints Washington, DC : The Urban Institute Press, 1994. p. 153-199.

[11] HYDEN, Goran. Governance and the study of politics. In: HYDEN, Goran, BRATTON, Michael (Eds.). Governance and politics in Africa. Boulder, Co. : Lynne Rienner, 1992. p. 5-8.

[12] JACOBI, Pedro, MORALES, Carlos. Public policies and governability: policy continuity and disruption in the administration of collective transport in Santos, 1989- 95. In: WILSON, Robert H., CRAMER, Reid (Eds.). International workshop on local governance: second annual proceedings. Austin, TX : LBJ School of Public Affairs, 1996. p. 29-46.

[13] LANDY, Marc. Public policy and citizenship. In: INGRAM, Helen, SMITH, Steven Rathgeb. Public policy for democracy Washington, DC : Brookings Institution, 1993. p. 19-44.

[14] MATHEW, George. Local government and the empowerment of women. In: WILSON, Robert H., CRAMER, Reid (Eds.). International workshop on local governance: second annual proceedings. Austin, TX : LBJ School of Public Affairs, 1996. p. 247-256.

[15] MCCARNEY, Patricia L. Considerations on the notion of governance. In: MCCARNEY, Patricia L. (Ed.). Cities and governance: new directions in Latin America, Asia and Africa. Toronto : Centre for Urban and Community Studies, 1996. p. 4-6.

[16] MCCARNEY, Patricia L., HALFANI, Mohammed, RODRIGUEZ, A. Towards an understanding of governance: the emergence of an idea and its implications for urban research in developing countries. In: STREN, Richard (Ed.). Urban research in developing countries Toronto : Centre for Urban and Community Studies, University of Toronto, 1995. v. 4, p. 95-98.

[17] PORIO, Emma. Urban governance in Southeast Asia: implications for sustainable human settlements. In: MCCARNEY, Patricia L. (Ed.). Cities and governance: new directions in Latin America, Asia and Africa. Toronto : Centre for Urban and Community Studies, 1996. p.75.

[18] PUTNAM, Robert D. Making democracy work Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, 1993.

[19] RADIN, Beryl et al. New governance for rural America: creating intergovernmental partnerships. Lawrence, KS : University of Kansas Press, 1996. Chapter 5.

[20] SKCOPOL, Theda. Bring the state back in: strategies of analysis in current research. In: EVANS, Peter, RUESCHEMEYER, Dietrich, SKOCPOL, Theda (Eds.). Bringing the state back in New York : Cambridge University Press, 1985. p. 3-37.

[21] STEPAN, Alfred. The state and society: Peru in comparative perspective. Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, 1978. p. xii.

[22] TAYLOR, Charles. Modes of civil society. Public Culture, v. III, p. 95-107, 1990.

[23] TOCQUEVILLE, Alexis de. Democracy in America New York : Harper & Row, 1966.

[24] URBAN research in the developing world. A four volume series, edited by Richard Stren Toronto : Centre for Urban and Community Studies. vol. 1 – Asia, 1994; vol. 2 – Africa, 1994; vol. 3 – Latin America, 1995; and vol. 4 – Perspectives on the City, 1995.

[25] WILSON, Robert H. (Ed.). Public policy and community: activism and governance in Texas. Austin, TX : University of Texas Press, 1997. Chapter 9.

[26] WILSON, Robert H. Is devolution approaching its limits? Austin, TX : LBJ School of Public Affairs, 1998. (Working Paper, n. 87).

[27] WILSON, Robert H., GRAHAM, Lawrence (Eds.). Policymaking in a redemocratized Brazil Austin, TX : LBJ School of Public Affairs, 1997. Vol. 1: Decentralization and social policy.

[28] WILSON, Robert H., GRAHAM, Lawrence (Eds.). Policymaking in a redemocratized Brazil Austin, TX : LBJ School of Public Affairs, 1997. Vol. 2: Public policy and social exclusions, n. 119.

[29] WOLFE, Alan. Whose keeper: social science and moral obligation. Berkeley : University of California Press, 1989.

[30] WORLD BANK. Sub-Saharan Africa: from crisis to sustainable growth: a long term perspective. Washington, DC : The World Bank, 1989.

[31] WORLD BANK. Governance and development Washington, DC : The World Bank, 1992. p. 3.

[32] WORLD BANK. Governance: the World Bank's experience. Washington, DC : The World Bank, 1994.

[33] ZICCARDI, Alicia. Governance and governability: one or two concepts. In: WILSON, Robert H., CRAMER, Reid (Eds.). International workshop on good local government Austin, TX : LBJ School of Public Affairs, 1995. p. 78-83.

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Understanding local governance: an international perspective

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