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Strengthening Local Governance

The October/November 2002 theme is Strengthening Local Governance. This issue highlights democracy-building organizations and groups around the world that work to empower local communities to participate in local decision-making processes by promoting accountable, participatory, transparent, and efficient local governments. These are illustrative examples to encourage democrats to consider developing similar projects.

Strengthening local governance is essential to advancing the quality of democracy around the world as it encourages a spirit of cooperation, participation, and accountability at the grassroots level. A number of groups conduct training and advocacy programs to increase citizens' participation in local government; to improve the capacity of local leaders to implement policies; and to assure transparency through monitoring local governments' activities.

At the World Movement's Second Assembly, Professor Celina Souza of the Federal University of Bahia, Brazil and the Institute of Social Sciences, based in New Delhi, India, organized workshops on "Strengthening Democracy at the Grassroots: Local Government and Civil Society" and "Building a Global Network on Local Government." The participants in the workshops discussed the ways to increase the accessibility of local government officials, and how to improve the efficiency of local government services. General recommendations were formulated at the workshops, suggesting that established democracies should share their experiences in the area of local governance, proposing the formation of a public space in which local communities can meet with local leaders, and creating a global network connecting local authorities, researchers, citizens and NGOs working with local governments. We encourage you to review the workshop reports and to send us any information on work your organization may be doing that is related to the recommendations listed. Please send the information via email the World Movement for Democracy or by fax to +1-202-293-0755.

A special section of this issue features two papers that address local governance in Brazil by Celina Souza. "Participatory Budgeting in Brazil: Decentralization and Policy Innovation" examines the logic behind participatory budgeting and the effectiveness of the policy.

"Empowerment of Local Governments and of Local Communities in a Decentralized and Unequal Polity" addresses Brazil's experience with decentralization, including its constraints.

Celina Souza is a professor in the Department of Finance and Public Policies at the Federal University of Bahia, Brazil, and a Visiting Fellow in the Department of Political Science, University of Sao Paulo. Professor Souza was also a co-organizer of the two workshops on local governmance at the World Movement's Second Assembly.