Policy Briefs
Using Social Norms to Fight Corruption in Local Governments
This policy brief looks into the role of social norms to fight corruption in the school system in the Cau Giay district in Hanoi. An ongoing research project has conducted multiple ethnographic field studies in schools and included parents, teachers, and other school personnel in the research data. Their experiences and reflections are the core…
City-to-City Peer Learning to Accelerate Localization of the Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda
This policy brief presents challenges and experiences ofdifferent cities and the possible strategies to accelerate theachievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) andthe New Urban Agenda as stipulated in the United Nationsdecade of action, to be addressed globally, locally and by thepeople. They are based on findings oftwo comparative projects undertaken by Mistra Urban Futures,an international…
Local Democracy in Health Emergency
This paper analyzes how local governments along with local communities have responded to the health emergency during the pandemic COVID-19. We conducted both content analysis and in-depth interviews to gather data. While the government followed a regulatory approach to enforce lockdown and health measures, we found that an inclusive and resilient community model may be…
Engagement of people with functional variation in the urban planning processes in Russia and Sweden
The inclusion of all people in local political and urban planning decision-making is one of the foundations of local democracy. This briefing paper examines a simple transferable methodology for assessing the usability of our city spaces for persons with functional variation. The focus is on the everyday experiences as people use the city in their…
Community Currencies as means of Local Economic Empowerment
Community currencies have emerged as a tool for building more inclusive local economic development and governance. Grassroots organisations in Nairobi and Mombasa (Kenya) have been experimenting with this form of local monies. Communities in informal settlements in Kisumu have shown interest in introducing their own community currency. Challenges remain concerning the best diffusion strategy of…
Child influence in local governments
This policy brief is based on the key lessons derived from a case study investigating how local governments can create conditions for child influence in decision making processes. The study was conducted by Christopher Owambla and Cornel Ogutu in 2019 who looked at municipal partnerships i three countries: Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. It is hoped…
Access to Urban Services for Inclusive Development in Asia
Rapid urban growth has not benefited all residents equally, leading to an “urban divide”. The poor are left to bear most of the burdens and shortcomings particularly in terms of access to services. Despite its contribution to economic development, urbanization has led to an increasing incidence of urban poverty and inequity, deteriorating quality of the…
Choisir la démocratie: la gestion des ressources naturelles pour les décideurs, bailleurs de fonds, et agents de terrain
Appuyer la démocratie locale pour la gestion des forêts est essentiel à l’amélioration du bien-être des populations. Les autorités forestières au niveau national recrutent souvent des experts qui ne rendent pas compte aux populations vivant en zone forestière. Beaucoup de décisions relatives aux forêts devraient être prises au niveau local. Cette note d’orientation politique propose…
Choosing Democracy: Natural Resource Management for Environmental Policy Makers, Donors and Practitioners
Supporting local democracy in forestry is crucial for enhancing local people’s wellbeing. Most public decisions in forestry remain centralized. Forestry authorities on the national level often hire experts who are not accountable to the to the local people living in and around the forests. Many decisions related to forests should be transferred to the local…
Proceedings of the Workshop: Workshop on Devolution and Local Development in Kenya
On June 26 2014, a workshop was held on devolution and local development at the Nairobi Safari Club in Nairobi, Kenya, to discuss the historic devolution reforms one year after their implementation. The workshop was organised by Agnes Cornell, Aarhus University, and Michelle D’Arcy, Trinity College Dublin, with funding from the Swedish International Centre for…