Inclusive leadership and governance

  • Real Democratization in Cambodia? An Empirical Review of the Potential of a Decentralization Reform

    How can a war-torn country rise and in the process create democratic institutions? This paper uses Cambodia as an example and tries to identify some of the key dimensions of the Cambodian decentralization reform. The question in focus, how the process of decentralization and local development is played out in a post-conflict country is thoroughly…

  • Citizen Engagement, Deliberative Spaces and the Consolidation of a Post-Authoritarian Democracy: The Case of Indonesia

    Is there a correlation of strong civil society organizations taking part in a decentralization process and the possibilities that this process will result in a strong deliberative democracy and a well-functioning local government? By presenting different examples of how local CSO:s in post-authoritarian Indonesia engage with the government, the author argues that there has been…

  • Engaging Civil Society to Promote Democratic Local Governance: Emerging Trends and Policy Implications in Asia

    In what way could local CSO:s act in the plausible democratic transformation of a number of Asian Countries? This paper examines in what way civil society affects the decentralization process in Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, China, the Republic of Korea and the Philippines. By doing so, this publication shed light on the role of CSO:s…

  • Where is Local Government Going in Latin America? A Comparative Perspective

    How can one view the Latin American local government system and ultimately – what can this system tell us about the possible outcomes for democracy in Latin America?  In this publication the author departs from two of Max Weber’s ideal types of local government systems – the ‘managerial’ and ‘governmental’ types of government – to…

  • Choice, Recognition and Democracy Effects of Decentralization

    Many democratic decentralization reforms have been carried out in cooperation with CSO:s, the private sector and other non-governmental agents – but how does this affect the accountability and legitimacy of the local government? This paper examines the effects of institutional choices and exemplifies different democratic dimensions in the process of democratic decentralization. Based on experiences…

  • Sanctions, Benefits, and Rights: Three Faces of Accountability

    In what way are citizens able to affect their local public officials and how can their collective need be transformed into government action? 15 years ago a study in Mexico examined 30 randomly selected municipals and the findings were that the ability to demand good performance of local government lagged behind other forms of civil…

  • Perspectives on Decentralisation

    Why do some decentralization reforms fail while others succeed? This is one of the burning questions in the decentralization literature and this publication examines in what contexts different types of decentralization works well and how these types of decentralizations affect society. This research serves therefore as an important contribution to the existing research in the…

  • Limits to Local Democracy: The Politics of Urban Governance Transformations in Cape Town

    Is a decentralized government more effective and accountable than a state centred public administration?  This publication provides the reader with a new way of understanding modern urban governance from a South African perspective. The question of how to create political legitimacy is in focus and this publication is therefore a good source for understanding the…

  • The 2016 local government elections: The point where South Africa changed course?

    In August 2016, local government elections were held in South Africa, something that is of direct relevance to many of ICLD’s partners. Dr Andrew Siddle has analyzed the elections on behalf of the ICLD. The elections have been described as “the point at which South Africa changed course,” but it remains to be seen just…

  • Local government in South Africa: Can the objectives of the developmental state be achieved through the current model of decentralized governance?

    Under the new constitutional dispensation, South African Local government was given a critical developmental role to play in rebuilding local communities and environments, as the basis for a democratic, integrated, prosperous and non-racial society. This study examines the notions of decentralization and developmentalism, and shows how they have become two of the most significant defining…