The Role of Social Norms in Reducing Corruption in Education: A Case Study of Schools in Hanoi-Vietnam
This research report presents empirical findings from an ethnographic study of the role of informal social norms in reducing corruption in public and private schools in Hanoi. The study begins by building a theoretical framework that inculcates the significance of local informal social norms in analysing/understanding corruption and designing counteraction strategies, especially at the sub-national…
From inclusion and transparency, to equity and quality: How can we improve local budget processes?
The objective of this project is to investigate how equitable, inclusive, transparent and accountable budget processes are at local government level and to propose measures for their improvement. The analysis included four pilot municipalities in North Macedonia, selected to represent different geographic locations and socio-economic characteristics. We employed different methods to assess the current state…
Cape Town’s Quest for Accessible Transportation
Key concepts: Spatial Inequality, Social Inclusion, Disability Rights As in many countries in the world, people with disabilities in South Africa face a number of social, attitudinal, structural and infrastructure barriers that inhibit their full participation in society. Accessible transportation can be one way to overcome some of these barriers and allow for access to…
Securing the Right to Housing and Services in eThekwini’s Informal Settlements
Key Concepts: Spatial Inequality, Right to Housing Like other major cities in South Africa, Durban’s eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality faces a growing population fuelled by migration from both rural areas and neighbouring countries. Many new residents find shelter in informal settlements which are, although real communities, often overcrowded and unsafe, lacking critical infrastructure. The municipality’s Human…
Organisational readiness
Assessing your organisational readiness at the outset of the project will allow you to compare this baseline with the situation at the end of the project, the endline. This will help you to track organisational changes that your project has contributed to, as well as unexpected results that may have happened in the organisation. The…
Organisational learning – handbook
This organisational learning model was developed by ICLD using the SECI model as a basis. Åsa Lorentzi of the City of Gothenburg, a former project member in a municipal partnership and with extensive experience in working with change processes and social sustainability, has been of great help in this work. Swedish and African municipalities have…
Sexual Orientation and Human Rights in Botswana – The City of Gaborone’s role
Botswana stands out in the African context for its unique approach to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) issues. In addition to societal stigma, their sexual behaviour was criminalized by the penal code. Gaborone City Council did not have jurisdiction over the legalization of same-sex sexual activity or identity, but it did have an important voice…
Innovating with urban governance: municipal committees for inclusive, nature-based solutions
This policy brief explores the challenges and innovative opportunities for institutionalising participatory processes within municipal contexts. Specifically, we report on the creation of municipal committees, a proposal framed within the EU-funded project URBiNAT aimed at co-creating healthy corridors made up of a combination of nature-based solutions (NBS). The proposed committees aim to consolidate citizens’ engagement…
Local Democracy and the Legitimization of Climate Action in Rural Municipalities of Sweden, Chile and the US
Case studies in rural Chile, Sweden and the US, show that climate policy often leads to conflicts with other rural development objectives. Rural municipalities thus need new tools to balance climate change action with other important local demands. This brief highlights how national- and state-level implementation of the Sustainable Development Goal 13 (climate action) interacts…
Problems of Public Participation in Urban Improvement Programmes: Cases of Petrozavodsk, Yekaterinburg and St Petersburg
As part of the LUPSRUSS³ -2 project, our team compared the implementation of the state-run ‘Creation of Comfortable Urban Environment’ programme in three Russian cities. Based on the analysis of regulatory documents, media and social network publications, surveys and interviews, we identified the main problems associated with public engagement in the formation of a comfortable…
