scholarly journals Governance from below in Bolivia: A Theory of Local Government with Two Empirical Tests

2009 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 29-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Paul Faguet
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Local Politics ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Political Engagement ◽  
Joint Product ◽  
Government Quality ◽  
Institutional Determinants ◽  
Empirical Tests ◽  
Government Responsiveness

AbstractThis article examines decentralization through the lens of the local dynamics it unleashed in the much-noted case of Bolivia. It argues that the national effects of decentralization are largely the sum of its local-level effects. To understand decentralization, therefore, we must first understand how local government works. The article explores the deep economic and institutional determinants of government quality in two extremes of municipal performance. From this it derives a model of local government responsiveness as the product of political openness and substantive competition. The quality of local politics, in turn, emerges endogenously as the joint product of the lobbying and political engagement of local firms and interests and the organizational density and ability of civil society. The analysis tests the theory's predictions on a database containing all Bolivian municipalities. The theory proves robust. The combined methodology provides a higher-order empirical rigor than either approach can alone.

scholarly journals Transformation from Below in Bangladesh: Decentralization, local governance, and systemic change

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (6) ◽  
pp. 1668-1694 ◽  
Author(s):  
JEAN-PAUL FAGUET
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Transformative Change ◽  
Development Indicators ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Joint Product ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Government Responsiveness

AbstractI examine decentralization through the lens of the local dynamics it unleashed in Bangladesh. I argue that the national effects of decentralization are largely the sum of its local-level effects. Hence, to understand decentralization, we must first understand how local government works. This implies analysing not only decentralization, but also democracy, from the bottom up. I present a model of local government responsiveness as the product of political openness and substantive competition. The quality of politics, in turn, emerges endogenously as a joint product of the lobbying and political engagement of local firms/interests, and the organizational density and ability of civil society. I then test these ideas using qualitative data from Bangladesh. The evidence shows that civic organizations worked with non-governmental organizations and local governments to effect transformative change from the grass roots upwards—not just to public budgets and outputs, but to the underlying behaviours and ideas that underpin social development. In the aggregate, these effects were powerful. The result, key development indicators show, is Bangladesh leap-frogging past much wealthier India between 1990 and 2015.

Do squeaky wheels get the grease? Understanding when and how municipalities respond to online requests

2021 ◽  
pp. 146144482110312
Author(s):  
Ben Epstein ◽  
Leticia Bode ◽  
Jennifer M Connolly
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Average Rate ◽  
Government Policies ◽  
Democratic Accountability ◽  
Government Responsiveness

Citizens often attempt to interact with government through online modes of communication such as email and social media. Using an audit study, we examine when and how American municipalities with populations of over 50,000 respond to online requests for information. We develop baselines for municipal responsiveness, including the average rate, time, and quality of responses, and examine whether these response attributes vary based on the mode of communication or the tone of the request. Overall, municipalities responded to 54% of email requests and 38% of Twitter requests. A majority of responses were received on the same business day. Responses are slightly faster on Twitter, but of higher quality on email. Governments are more likely to respond to frustrated constituents on email, but respond faster to frustrated queries on Twitter, though with lower quality responses. These findings contribute to our understanding of local government responsiveness and have significant implications for democratic accountability and resident compliance with and the effectiveness of local government policies. Furthermore, our scholarly understanding of local government communications with residents, and particularly the promise of social media as a tool of two-way communication, may be underdeveloped.

scholarly journals Analysis of the Influence of Local Politics on Implementation SDGs 4 Policy for Quality Education

2021 ◽  
pp. 196-204
Author(s):  
Wilda Rasaili ◽  
Dafik Dafik ◽  
Rachmat Hidayat ◽  
Hadi Prayitno
Keyword(s):  
Policy Implementation ◽  
Local Politics ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Quality Education ◽  
Local Democracy ◽  
Public Meetings ◽  
A Value ◽  
Political Interests

SDGs-4, the quality education is one of the factors in achieving the goals of the SDGs. The problem is that the SDGs look ambitious in integrating local level policies that are responsive to political interests. The research used a mixed method of exploration, searching for interview data and questionnaires. The results showed that the implementation of the SDGs was strongly influenced by local democracy. The implementation of the promotion of SDGs requires strengthening local politics and democracy, including; the quality of the Pilkada, the role of the community, political parties, media control, and public meetings. The influence of local democracy on policy implementation is 51.5%. Policy implementation has a positive effect on the implementation of the SDGs with a value of 0.187. The influence of local democracy and policy implementation on the promotion of SDGs-4 is 64.2% and the remaining 35.8% is influenced by other factors.

Kapasitas Pemerintah Daerah dalam Knowledge Creation

2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 23-34
Author(s):  
Basseng Basseng
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Quality Of Democracy ◽  
Decentralization Policy

Decentralization policy in perspective of knowledge management, particularly in terms of knowledge creation is considered unsuccessful. It is not that decentralization policy is not problematic, but inappropriate knowledge utilized by local government in exercising decentralized affairs is indeed problematic. Such knowledge falls short in enhancing prosperity and quality of democracy at the local level, regardless of the motivation.

The Quality of Local Government and Firm Performance: The Case of China's Provinces

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 679-710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jongmoo Jay Choi ◽  
Cao Jiang ◽  
Oded Shenkar
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Provincial Government ◽  
Political Freedom ◽  
Local Administration ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Government Quality ◽  
Property Registration ◽  
Bureaucratic Efficiency

ABSTRACTExtending La Porta, Lopez-de-Silanes, Shleifer, and Vishny (1999), we examine the effect of local government quality on firm performance, since regional and firm research provides a more fine-grained analysis especially in countries where local administration is an integral part of the bureaucratic apparatus. Using a dataset of 7,873 Chinese listed firm-years for 1994–2006, we find a positive relationship between the quality of provincial government and firm performance, controlling for location and firm-specific governance variables. Among various government quality variables, we find that having a special economic zone depicting low taxes and bureaucratic efficiency is the best predictor of firm performance, followed by the degree of marketization, efficient property registration, and environmental protection. Most intriguingly, political freedom has a significant impact on firm performance and productivity, even in a regime where democracy is not practiced. This has never been documented before at a microeconomic level and barely so at a macro level, vindicating Hayek's (1944) theory.

scholarly journals EFEKTIVITAS PERENCANAAN PEMBANGUNAN DAERAH KOTA BATU

REFORMASI ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 228-235
Author(s):  
Dekki Umamur Ra'is ◽  
Dody Setyawan ◽  
Yordanus Dimus
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Development Planning ◽  
Regional Government ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Input Process ◽  
Sampling Process ◽  
Planning Development

Keberhasilan pembangunan negara tidak semata-mata ditentukan oleh kekayaan sumber daya alam yang melimpah, tetapi juga ditentukan oleh proses perencanaan pembangunan yang sistematis, terukur, dan menyeluruh (komprehensif). Perencanaan pembangunan memiliki peran yang sangat strategis dan vital dalam pembangunan. Keberhasilan perencanaan, salah satunya diukur dari efektifitasnya. Ada empat indikator efektivitas,  yaitu Ketepatan Waktu, Ketepatan perhitungan biaya, Ketepatan Dalam Menentukan Tujuan, dan Ketepatan Sasaran. Penelitian in menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan penentuan informan menggunakan metode snowball sampling dan analisa data menggunakan triangulasi. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahwa perencanaan pembangunan daerah di Kota Batu sudah efektif. Walaupun begitu, masih ada beberapa faktor penghambat yang harus diperhatikan oleh pemerintah kota Batu,  yaitu program kegiatan yang tidak sesuai dengan RPJMD atau visi-misi kepala daerah, sistem ditingkat lokal pemerintahan daerah yang belum tersinkronisasi secara maksimal, sehingga proses input data masih perlu berulang-ulang. Faktor lainnya adalah kurangnya koordinasi antar OPD. Oleh sebab itu diperlukan konsistensi dari semua elemen yang terlibat dalam perencanaan. Komitmen dari kepala daerah, kepala OPD dan elemen lain yang terlibat dalam proses perencanaan harus diperkuat.The quality of a country's growth is decided not just by the availability of plentiful natural resources but also by a formal, tangible and rigorous method of development planning. Planning for construction plays a very pragmatic and vitally significant position in planning. Planning performance, in which one is calculated by its effectiveness. There are 4 efficacy metrics, that' Timeliness, Accuracy in costs, Accuracy in Setting Goals, and Accuracy of Targets. There are four effectiveness measures, which is timeliness, expense accuracy, objective setting accuracy, and aim accuracy. This research uses a qualitative methodology and the snowball sampling process to pick the informant and use triangulation as interpretation of the results. The results showed that regional development planning in Batu had been effective. Even so, there are still some inhibiting factors that must be considered by the local government, the program of activities that are not in accordance with the RPJMD or the vision and mission of the regional head, the system at the local level of the local government that has not been synchronized maximally, so the data input process still needs be repeated. Another factor is the lack of coordination among the OPD. It requires continuity with all the components involved in preparation. Commitments will be reinforced from department leaders, manager level and other aspects participating in the planning phase.Key Words: Effectiveness; Planning; Development; Regional; Government; Governance

scholarly journals Jednomandatowe okręgi wyborcze a jakość reprezentacji. Przykład zastosowania jakościowej analizy porównawczej

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-170
Author(s):  
Igor Lyubashenko ◽  
Marta Żerkowska-Balas
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Public Space ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Political Representation ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Electoral System ◽  
City Council ◽  
Quality Of Democracy ◽  
The Impact

This article attempts to make an empirical verification of the impact the electoral law on shaping the expectations of voters towards elected representatives. The analysis was conducted using data collected under the project entitled ‘The impact of electoral rules on the quality of local democracy in Poland’, whose fundamental premise was to take advantage of the situation arising after the amendment to the Electoral Code in 2011, as a result of which different electoral regulations were in force in the 2014 local government elections in various similar cities. Therefore, it was possible to verify a number of statements functioning in public space regarding issues, such as the positive impact of single-mandate constituencies on the quality of democracy (in particular, on the quality of democracy at the local level).The purpose of the analysis was to try to find regularities in changes in perceiving the role of councillors that may have occurred as a result of different electoral regulations. To this end, we used the qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) methodology, which allows the study of relationships between sets and the interpretation of these relationships in terms of necessity and sufficiency.The results suggest that the introduction of the majority system in a number of cities in the 2014 local government elections did not lead to the formation of a coherent model of political representation at the city council level, which would be qualitatively different from the representation model characteristic for cities with a proportional electoral system.

A Model for Connected E-Government in the Digital Age

2019 ◽  
pp. 233-243
Author(s):  
Qiuyan Fan
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Information Integration ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Government Services ◽  
It Architecture ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Digital Channels ◽  
Delivery Approach

Local government in Australia plays an important role in local economies and communities. The chapter reviews e-government development at the local level in Australia and proposes a connected e-government model that aims to increase the quality of government services and improve the effectiveness of local government operations. A framework for developing more connected and responsive e-government at the local level is of paramount importance. Connected government requires not only a user-centric focus for the development of e-government services but also government business process and information integration. Reusable services and connected IT architecture are essential characteristics of connected e-government. The proposed model links to third party efforts, which provides more effective way of developing a more connected e-government by potentially breaking down bureaucratic barriers. As technology evolves, people are demanding access to local government via digital channels. The proposed model adopts an integrated multichannel service delivery approach to connected e-government.

Does Local Government Matter? How Urban Policies Shape Civic Engagement. By Elaine B. Sharp. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2012. 248p. $67.50 cloth, $22.50 paper.

2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 599-600
Author(s):  
J. Eric Oliver
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Local Politics ◽  
Local Level ◽  
National Level ◽  
Political Scientist ◽  
Local Elections ◽  
University Of Minnesota ◽  
National Politics ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
State And Local

Like most fields of knowledge, political science tends to progress incrementally. Typically, a political scientist develops a model about a prominent institution or common behavior and that model becomes the starting point for understanding all its other permutations. This is especially the case in studies of American state and local government, which tend to follow theories of national politics. Scholars of state legislatures typically begin their analysis by using studies of the U.S. Congress, analysts of local elections start with presidential vote models, and so on. But, as Elaine Sharp reminds us in Does Local Government Matter?, we should not be so quick to assume that models or theories about national-level politics translate easily to the local level. In fact, local politics may operate under logics all their own.

Culture Wars and City Politics, Revisited: Local Councils and the Australia Day Controversy

2020 ◽  
pp. 107808742094503
Author(s):  
Rachel Busbridge ◽  
Mark Chou
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Urban Politics ◽  
Local Politics ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Culture Wars ◽  
Culture War ◽  
Contemporary Culture ◽  
Politically Active

Conflicts rooted in questions of morality and values—so-called “culture wars”—pose difficult questions for local governance. Yet, when it comes to culture wars, local governments can be as politically active as other levels of government. This article explores the role of local government in the culture war surrounding Australia’s national holiday, Australia Day. We draw on the pioneering work of Elaine Sharp on urban politics, culture wars, and local government to document and analyze how Australian local governments have responded to the Australia Day controversy. Whereas Sharp’s typology is instructive, the ways in which the Australia Day debate has played out at the local level necessitate additional categories of responsiveness. These additional categories may contribute to the broader rejuvenation of studies on culture wars and local politics in light of new fronts in contemporary culture wars and the changing face of local government.

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