SDG Clubs – A Guide for Municipalities and Schools
This guide provides a step-by-step approach for local governments to create Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) clubs in schools, empowering youth to engage with local issues, practice leadership, and contribute to sustainable development through interaction with the UN’s Agenda 2030. It takes the reader through: The SDG Clubs Toolbox results from Kibaha Education Centre’s work within…
Internally displaced persons integration in Ukraine
With over 4.6 million registered IDPs, Ukraine’s approach provides valuable insights into rapid crisis response, community integration, and participatory governance. Innovative local initiatives offer lessons in empowering displaced people to participate in local decision-making and strengthen societal resilience. Studying these approaches and practices can help in shaping global strategies for managing displacement and fostering social…
The tangible value of local democracy
How collaborative local governance supports crisis response in Ukraine amid the Russian full-scale invasion. This brief highlights how collaborative local governance aids Ukrainian communities in responding to crises caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion and boosts societal resilience. Co-production between local governments, residents, nonprofits, and businesses has led to practical solutions for challenges like internal displacement.…
Increasing Transparency in Local Governments: Implementation of Citizen Budgets in Uganda, Kenya, and Zimbabwe
This research project investigates the implementation and impact of Citizen’s Budgets at the local level in selected countries. It aims to understand the elements that compose these budgets, the impact they have on the transparency of local government budget processes, and the degree of empowerment they confer, especially to marginalized groups. The study also assesses…
Citizen Participation for the Human Right to Water
This learning case aims to guide the reader to:
Peer learning in partnerships – toolbox
The objective of peer-learning in ICLD networks (including team visits) and partnerships is the transfer of knowledge, skills and experience from one local government to another, and vice versa, mainly through international visits. These visits are at the heart of your partnership, and network, and should be well planned and contain elements that encourage peer…
ICLD Country Briefs 2024
The ICLD Country Briefs is a publication series that investigates local democracy around the world. In these reports the authors elaborate on the state of local democracy and ties the information to ICLD’s programmes. The reports provide insights into the local contexts, and the possibilities and barriers for successful decentralisation. The information and views expressed…
ICLD Pedagogical Profile
ICLD strives to facilitate an inclusive internal and external environment conducive to learning and development in its education, training and exercises. This profile is a guiding tool for ICLD staff, mentors and external lecturers to help assure a common pedagogical level. Furthermore, ICLD is continuously striving to become a learning organization itself: all values, processes…
ICLD Code of Conduct
The purpose of the Swedish International Centre for Local Democracy (ICLD) is to support local democratic development by various means through cooperative ventures in a range of countries. Activities include research and development cooperation, training, and partnership between Swedish public stakeholders (primarily municipalities), and their counterparts in partner countries. Every year, several hundreds of people…
Deciding Together: Citizen Satisfaction and Institutional Design of Participatory Governance in Kenya
This policy brief provides practical insights for local governments on leveraging participatory budgeting (PB) to enhance citizen satisfaction and ownership of development projects. Based on a study in rural Kenya, three PB approaches—consultation, voting, and deliberation—were evaluated. All methods increased satisfaction and willingness to invest in projects, demonstrating their value in strengthening community engagement. Deliberation,…
