DPM3209

• "All politics is Local" (Thomas, O Neill)
• Local Government


  The conceptual framework
• State


  The interrelationship at the public level among the people who live in the country and the way in which those relationships are regulated. The state is a body of people with the organs/arms that exercise sovereignty.
• Arms of the State


  • Executive - The Head of State, Cabinet Members, etc... (Often called the Government)
  • Legislative - Responsible for making the laws
  • Judicial - Responsible for determining and interpreting the laws
• Nation


  A country with a homogeneous population
• Nation State


  A number of different people residing in one territory (held together by the State)
• Governments


  The bodies (machinery) in a country that conduct the affairs of the state
• Local Government


  Institutions responsible for making collective decisions for society. A sub-national level of government which has jurisdiction over the administration of a limited range of public or state functions, within a specified geographical area, as part of a larger territory or as part of a state.
• Local Government


  An elected or non-elected infra-sovereign bodies, which are responsible for the administration of specified or general affairs of given geographical areas and their populations. Local Government is the legal personification of the local community acting for, and responsible to represented by a council, elected by, the inhabitants.
• Local Government


  • Sub-national level of government - subordinate to central government since they have no share in sovereignty (infra-sovereign)
  • Specified geographic area - within a particular locality e.g. a village, district, town, city, county etc. (spatial)
  • Administration of limited functions - responsible only for decentralized functions
• The Council


  • The supreme elected body/structure which formulates and approves its own budget, formulates by-laws and policies, and determines development programmes
  • It is made up of councillors who are generally elected by the people
  • It promotes representative democracy
• Sovereignty


  The supreme, ultimate, absolute, uncontrollable power by which any independent state is governed. It is the supreme political authority, paramount control of the constitution and the framework of government and its administration, the self-sufficient source of political power from which all specific political powers are derived.
• Sovereignty is the international dependence of a state combined with the right and power of regulating its internal affairs without foreign dictation. Sovereignty is people exercising control over their affairs. A state is either a sovereign state or it is not - cannot be partly sovereign
• Infra-sovereign


  A subordinate form of sovereignty where absolute power and authority rests in the hands of the central government. Local Government is Infra-Sovereign
• The primary role of Local Government is to ensure the provision of essential services
• Local Governance


  The way power is exercised at the local level by state or sub-national actors or the allocation and management of a country's public resources. It refers to the processes and institutional framework within a locality/community through which power and authority are exercised, in influencing policy, decision making, and implementation regarding the conduct of local public affairs, and the direction of local government.
• Local Governance processes


  • The manner in which conflicts or disagreements about the allocation of public resources are resolved (conflict resolution and policymaking)
  • The process through which public resources are allocated and managed at the local level for achieving priority societal objectives (planning and implementation)
• Local governance involves elected bodies exercising power at the local level
• public and political violence, policing, and administration of local justice
• Environmental management and resource security


  • water and sanitation (garbage collection and disposal, sewage treatment)
  • Abattoir
  • Electricity
  • Health care and hospital management services
  • Roads, bridges, culverts
  • Maintenance of Cemeteries
• The roles of Local Governments vary in other countries
• Local Government


  The way power is exercised at the local level by state or sub-national actors or the allocation and management of a country's public resources
• Local Governance


  The processes and institutional framework within a locality/community through which power and authority are exercised, in influencing policy, decision making, and implementation regarding the conduct of local public affairs, and the direction of local government
• Local Governance


  1. The manner in which conflicts or disagreements about the allocation of public resources are resolved (conflict resolution and policymaking)

  2. The process through which public resources are allocated and managed at the local level for achieving priority societal objectives (planning and implementation)
• Local Government Bodies


  Elected bodies empowered by law to regulate and administer affairs in their respective areas, responsible for basic amenities within their jurisdiction and locale
• Self-Governance


  The rights and responsibility of citizens of any given area to make decisions on issues that affect them directly and on which they can make decisions
• Local Self-Government


  The right and the ability of local authorities, within the limits of the law, to regulate and manage a substantial share of public affairs under their own responsibility and in the interests of the local population
• Local authority is an administrative unit of local government
• Local Democratic Organ


  Any local government authority, including that of a city, town or any division thereof established under section 4 (1) of the Local Democratic Organs Act, Chapter 28:09
• Civil Society


  All groups and sectors in society except the state/government apparatus (Central and Local), statutory enterprises, police, military and judiciary
• The relationship between Local and Central Government is often based on one of the following systems: Integrated System, Dual System, Partnership System, Comprehensive System
• Integrated System


  Local government bodies are married to Central Government, Central government agencies directly administer all the services, Central Government are area coordinators or district administrators responsible for field administration, Local authorities have little control over government activities and staff in their area
• Dual System


  Central Government establishes local government however, the local government operates independent of the central government, Local Government has autonomy legally to perform local services and to do whatever is necessary to foster local development, they perform few technical services for or on behalf of Central Government, characterised by separateness and conflict of Local Government with Central Government rather than unity or cooperation
• Partnership System


  There is cooperation between Central Government and Local Government Authorities, facilitates sharing of resources etc. direct services are rendered by the field units and others by Local Government, Local Government Authorities perform some functions autonomously and others on behalf of Central Government, under the technical supervision on Central Government Ministries, permits the use of field administration or local authorities according to the needs of the function or situation
• Comprehensive System


  Most government functions are done by the local government or are administered through multi-purpose Local Government Authorities, Local Authorities perform some functions according to statutory authority and others on behalf of Central Government ministries, local authorities rather than ministries render all or almost all agricultural, educational, health, and social services to the community, technical support however is provided by central ministries, the difference between comprehensive and partnership lies in the extent of reliance upon local authorities as channels for direct services
• There are wide variations of the decentralized systems that exist with respect to the relationship between Local and Central Governments, across countries
• Countries with Comprehensive LG system are likely to have difficulties ensuring adequate technical supervision and support of technical services personnel
• Countries with Comprehensive LG system also have distinctive problems due to the large measure of and financial administrative decentralization
• Dual systems


  There are distinct problems with field coordination of relationships between central agencies and "autonomous" local authorities, also with obtaining popular participation in activities of central government, in this type of system, technical departments independently carry out multifunctional programs in rural areas in order to provide complementary services needed to make their principal functional programme successful
• Partnership systems


  Are likely to have more centrally oriented field administration and have distinctive and more complex problems of financial and administrative relationships between Central and Local Governments