Foundations for Local Governance - Decentralization in Comparative Perspective

Preface and Acknowledgements

Contents

1 Decentralization and Local Governance: Introduction and Overview

1.1 Aim of This Book

1.2 The Decentralized State Idealized

1.3 Decentralized State for Poverty Reduction

1.4 Review of the Past Literature

1.5 Actor Perspective as Research Methodology

1.6 Main Arguments and Chapter Summaries

References

2 Indonesia towards Decentralization and Democracy

2.1 Introduction

2.2 National Government and Regime Type

2.3 Political Decentralization

2.4 Personnel Management

2.5 Local Financial Autonomy

2.6 Civil Society and Public Participation

2.7 Summary and Conclusion

References

3 Entangled Democracy, Decentralization and Lifeworld in Flores under Global Trends

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Global Winds and Decentralization in Indonesia

3.3 The Persistent Ethnic Structure of the Nation-State and the Emergence of Regional Identity Politics

3.4 An Analytical Review of Democracy

3.5 Accommodation of Democracy in Indonesia

3.6 Concluding Remarks: Partnership in Reciprocal Translation for Our Better Lifeworld

References

4 Redesigning Local Governance in India: Lessons from the Kerala Experiment

4.1 Background for Local Government System

4.2 Methodology of Participatory Planning

4.3 Towards Making an Inventory of Lessons

4.4 Conclusions

References

5 Contrasting Experiences of Decentralization in Two States in India

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Civil Society in India

5.3 History of Decentralization and Civil Society in Karnataka

5.4 Collaboration with Civil Organizations and Government in Kerala

5.5 Comparing Experiences of the Two States

References

6 Challenges of Moving into a Devolved Polity in Sri Lanka

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Centralized Polity: Colonial Roots

6.3 Post-Colonial Decentralization Attempts

6.4 The Devolution Package

6.5 Practice of Devolution

6.6 Local Government in the Devolved System

6.7 The Transformation Experience

6.8 Center-Province Relations

6.9 Community Participation in Governance

6.10 Conclusions

References

8 Possibility of Creating a Deliberative Solution in Uganda

8.1 Revisiting Uganda in a New Context

8.2 LC System, Political Space, and Deliberation

8.3 Improved Service Delivery

8.4 Improved Linkages of Various Government Levels

8.5 Human and Financial Resources as Enabling Factors

8.6 Collaboration and Partnerships

8.7 Uganda at a Critical Crossroads?

8.8 Conclusions

References

9 Democratic Decentralization in Post-Apartheid South Africa

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Political System and Regime Type

9.3 Constitutional and Legal Basis for Democratic Local Government

9.4 Local Government Elections

9.5 Local Government Staffing

9.6 Local Government Financing

9.7 Accountability and Transparency

9.8 Decentralization Challenges

9.9 Conclusion

References

11 The Balance Sheet of Decentralization in Ghana

11.1 Introduction

11.2 Political System and Regime Type

11.3 Sub-national Assemblies and Elections

11.4 Framework of Local Government

11.5 The Local Government Structure

11.6 Personnel Management

11.7 Financial Autonomy

11.8 Civil Society and Participation at Sub-national Levels

11.9 Challenges to Decentralization

11.10 Conclusion

References

13 Conclusions

13.1 Usefulness and Limitations of the Actor Perspective

13.2 Comparative Analyses of Decentralization

13.3 Putting Decentralization Measures into Perspective

References

Contributors

Index