16 – Fredliga och inkluderande samhällen
It Takes Two to Tango: Perceptions and motivations towards campaign clientelism in Zambia
Various studies on clientelism usually start from a common puzzle: Why is campaign clientelism widely practised by politicians even when they have no means of ensuring reciprocity from the voters? Similarly, why is campaign clientelism widespread amongst voters despite its numerous negative consequences on societies, democracy, and development? These puzzles have motivated my research, where…
Morality policies and the prospect for inclusive citizenship in decentralized Indonesia: A study of West Java
This study examines the making of exclusionary morality policies and how those policies have affected the lives of faith-based and gender-based minority groups in West Java, Indonesia. Combining policy review, in-depth case studies, and survey, we identify distinct patterns of exclusion, which are top-down for faith-based minorities and bottom-up for sexual/gender minorities. Around 121 exclusionary…
Bridging the Accountability Gap: Applying assed-based and citizen-led development in Emfuleni, South Africa
This research project aims to gain an understanding of how to institutionalise the Asset-Based and Citizen-Led Development (ABCD) approach as an innovative means of promoting active citizen engagement along with local-level social accountability in Emfuleni Local Municipality, Gauteng Province in South Africa. Building on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA)’s work in three wards of…
1,35 miljoner till Växjös demokratiprojekt med Komuna Vushtrri
ICLD har beviljat 1 350 000 SEK till ett partnerskapsprojekt mellan Växjö kommun och Komuna Vushtrri i Kosovo. Projektet ska genom digitalisering, öka och förbättra kommunens kommunikation och dialog med sina medborgare. Inom arkivverksamheten finns utmaningar i samhällets övergång till digitalisering. Det behöver säkras så att det som sker i verksamheterna i dag finns tillgängligt och är…
Växjö and Vushtrri, Kosovo
Växjö and Vushtrri partnership is embarking on a new project that seeks to improve accessibility to municipal services and information by effectively managing municipal archives. The project identifies three key beneficiary groups: citizens in rural areas, ethnic minorities, and students/researchers at universities. These groups face challenges in accessing information and documents due to factors such…
Call for research proposals: Local democracy during war – the case of Ukraine
Terms of Reference Background ICLD calls for research proposals on the role of local democracy during armed conflicts, looking into the case of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. While there is a long academic debate about the critical role played by the local level in peace building processes (Leonardsson & Rudd, 2015; Mac…
The Necessity of Talking the Talk: The functions of Communication for Anti-Corruption Political Will and Policy Development in Ukrainian Local Government
Abstract Corruption is a notoriously intractable problem. How do local public authorities manage to initiate and sustain meaningful anti-corruption efforts? To address this question, we examine the processes and interactions among key stakeholders in six local settings in Ukraine showing sustained reform effort between 2014 and 2021. The analysis identifies key communicative tasks that, taken…
Call for research proposal: Child-Focused Cities Analytical Framework
Terms of Reference Background In an attempt to enhance the work of local governments by enabling a more child-focused transformation of their respective territories in pursuit of sustainable development goals (SDG), a group of international researchers collaborated with a range of stakeholders to conceptualise a new analytical tool. The research process included seven international scholars…
Political Will for Anti-Corruption Reform: Communicative pathways to collective action in Ukraine
Why do some local public authorities engage in meaningful and sustained anti-corruption efforts while elsewhere such initiatives falter? To address this question, we advance a definition of political will as it relates to anti-corruption reforms and examine six local settings in Ukraine which showed sustained reform effort between 2014 and 2021. While previous conceptualisations see…
Making Participatory Budgeting work: our money, our voice!
Participatory Budgeting (PB) is a democratic innovation that strengthens local democracy by including citizens in budget decisions. By doing so from formulation to execution, it allows for more responsible, equitable and transparent spending. This policy brief highlights key issues that should be observed for effective implementation. This publication is a result of the Local Democracy…
