scholarly journals Constitutional Democracy and Caretaker Committee in Nigeria Local Government System: An Assessment

2013 ◽  
pp. 110-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jude C Okafor ◽  
Ikechukwu H Orjinta
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Government Reform ◽  
Constitutional Democracy ◽  
Financial Autonomy ◽  
The Third ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Nigerian Literature ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Subsequent Replacement

The 1976 Local Government Reform among other landmark changes unified the local government system in Nigeria, and the 1979 constitution made local governments the third tier of government and provided for a system of local government by democratically elected councils. More recently, elected local government councils have been dissolved and replaced with Transition Committees or Caretaker Committees appointed by the Governors’ of their respective states. This paper therefore, examines the impact of the caretaker committees in Nigerian Local Government on the practice of constitutional democracy. The discussion is framed by the theoretical perspectives and Nigerian literature on local government and constitutional democracy, and by the recent phenomenal wave of dissolving elected local government councils and subsequent replacement with caretaker committees. Contrary to popular belief, that local government as the third tier of government has failed to achieve the objective for which it was created, this paper observes that party politics has been the bane of Nigerian local government since its inception, and that democratically elected local councils with political and financial autonomy are the major conditions for an effective and efficient multi-purpose local government system in Nigeria.

Organizational Change in Local Governments: The Impact of the Danish Local Government Reform

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Baekgaard
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Organizational Structures ◽  
Public Organizations ◽  
The Political ◽  
Government Reform ◽  
Administrative Organization ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Political Norms

The article explores organizational structures in public organizations that are the results of amalgamations of two or more public organizations. Focusing on the Danish Local Government Reform implemented in 2007, the main questions are whether the new municipalities have decided to organize themselves differently than their predecessors, and whether the interests of centrally placed actors affect such a decision. Data on the political and administrative organization of all Danish municipalities in 2005 and 2007 show that the number of organizational units grew considerably more in the 66 new municipalities than it did in the 32 municipalities whose territory was not changed because of the reform. The analyses show that the increased number of organizational units can in part be explained by new municipal tasks and increased workload due to the new structural conditions. An important part of the increase, however, was caused neither by task related, nor by structural changes. Alternatively, the increase may be explained by political norms stating that all relevant interests should be given a top post in the new organizations.

scholarly journals Game Theory-Based Analysis of Local Governments’ Behavioral Dissimilation in the Third-Party Soil Pollution Control under Chinese-Style Fiscal Decentralization

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 389
Author(s):  
Caihua Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Soil Pollution ◽  
Pollution Control ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Fiscal Decentralization ◽  
Third Party ◽  
The Third ◽  
Party Control ◽  
The Third Party

The participation of a third party of the environmental service enterprise theoretically increases the level and efficiency of soil pollution control in China. However, Chinese-style fiscal decentralization may have a negative impact on the behaviors of participants, especially the local government. First, this paper conducts a positioning analysis on participants of the third-party soil pollution control in China and discusses the behavioral dissimilation of the local government under fiscal decentralization. Second, taking the government’s third-party soil pollution control as a case, a two-party game model of the central government and the local government is established around the principal-agent relationship, and a tripartite game model of the central government, the local government, and the third-party enterprise is designed around the collusion between the local government and the third-party enterprise. The results show that Chinese-style fiscal decentralization may lead to the behavioral dissimilation of local governments, that is, they may choose not to implement or passively implement the third-party control, and choose to conspire with third-party enterprises. Improving the benefits from implementing the third-party control of local governments and third-party enterprises, enhancing the central government’s supervision probability and capacity, and strengthening the central government’s punishment for behavioral dissimilation are conducive to the implementation of the third-party soil pollution control. Finally, this study puts forward policy suggestions on dividing the administrative powers between the central and local government in third-party control, building appraisal systems for the local government’s environmental protection performance, constructing environmental regulation mechanisms involving the government, market and society, and formulating the incentive and restraint policies for the participants in the third-party soil pollution control.

Evolution of e-participation in Greek local government

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Constantina Costopoulou ◽  
Maria Ntaliani ◽  
Filotheos Ntalianis
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Big Data ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Community ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
The Impact

Local governments are increasingly developing electronic participation initiatives, expecting citizen involvement in local community affairs. Our objective was to assess e-participation and the extent of its change in local government in Greece. Using content analysis for 325 Greek municipal websites, we assessed e-participation status in 2017 and 2018 and examined the impact of change between these years. The assessment regards two consecutive years since the adoption of digital technologies by municipalities has been rapid. The main findings show that Greek local governments have made significant small- to medium-scale changes, in order to engage citizens and local societies electronically. We conclude that the integration of advanced digital technologies in municipalities remains underdeveloped. We propose that Greek municipalities need to consider incorporating new technologies, such as mobile apps, social media and big data, as well as e-decision making processes, in order to eliminate those obstacles that hinder citizen engagement in local government. Moreover, the COVID-19 outbreak has highlighted the need for enhancing e-participation and policymakers’ coordination through advanced digital technologies.

Transformation Opportunities Toward Knowledge-Based Urban Development and Its Challenges

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Aly Abdel Razek Galaby
Keyword(s):  
Urban Development ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
The Third ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Development Policies ◽  
The World ◽  
Push Forward ◽  
Impact Assessment Methodology ◽  
The Impact

The current research discusses opportunities and challenges of knowledge-based urban development in Egypt, aims to monitor the actual opportunities provided by Egyptian policies for knowledge-based urban development, and highlights their most important challenges. The research relied on the impact assessment methodology, the opinion of some experts, analyzing secondary data, literature review, and statistical reports to track the paths of changes in knowledge-based development policies and their applications during the third millennium to reveal the most important challenges and constraints facing the experiences of knowledge cities and its precincts in the Egyptian society. The research concluded some recommendations to confront these challenges and push forward toward strengthening knowledge-based urban development in Egypt, based on what came from critical review f literature, theoretical perspectives, and policies and experiences of many countries of the world in this field.

scholarly journals The 2011 Commonwealth Local Government Conference: Energising Local Economies: An Overview

1970 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Rhodes
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Local Economic Development ◽  
Local Economies ◽  
Financial Difficulties ◽  
Economic Climate ◽  
The Global Financial Crisis ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Impact

In the current economic climate, creating the right environment for local enterprise, inward investment, and business and skills development, is an important factor in ensuring the prosperity and wellbeing of local communities. The impact of the global financial crisis has not been uniform across the Commonwealth and countries are using different strategies to overcome their financial difficulties. Local government increasingly plays an important part in this. More and more local governments in countries across the Commonwealth have responsibilities and powers for local economic development: in some countries local authorities can already show how their policies and actions are helping energise their local economies, while in other countries local councils are just beginning to get to grips with these responsibilities.

scholarly journals The Impact of Social Accountability Mechanisms on Fiscal Management Challenges Facing Goromonzi Rural District Council, Zimbabwe

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 141
Author(s):  
Trust Madhovi
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Social Accountability ◽  
Rural District ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Fiscal Management ◽  
District Council ◽  
The Impact

This paper examines the impact of social accountability mechanisms on the fiscal management challenges facing local government bodies in Zimbabwe. The paper hypothesises that there is a positive relationship between the use of social accountability mechanisms or tools by local authorities and the effectiveness of their fiscal management policies to mobilize more revenue for service delivery. In this study, both quantitative and qualitative methods are adopted in gathering and analysing data from central government officials, Goromonzi Rural District Council employees and members of the public. The results of the study reveal that the local government body faces a number of fiscal management challenges that include a shrinking tax base, non-payment of taxes, resistance to successive budgets; lack of implementation; lack of monitoring and evaluation. Council has implemented participatory budgeting to deal with some of these challenges. While results show a significant improvement in tax collection, some of the challenges have persisted. The paper proposes some recommendations useful to central government, policy makers, civil society organisations, local government officials and the general public. The paper manages to demonstrate that the implementation of social accountability tools can have positive impacts on the fiscal management challenges facing local governments. 

Challenges of the Implementation of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in Romania’s Legislation

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 873-893 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tudor Cristian Ticlau ◽  
Bogdan Andrei Moldovan ◽  
Cristina Maria Hintea
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
East European ◽  
Significant Power ◽  
Financial Autonomy ◽  
Current Article ◽  
State Of Affairs ◽  
European Family ◽  
The Eu

The European Charter on Local Self-government is a defining document for local governments across the EU and was a guideline for developing a framework of local governance based on local autonomy, decentralization that is close to the citizens. It was especially important for Central and East European Countries as they faced the challenges of a total overhaul of their administrative systems after the fall of the communist regimes. Romania fits into this picture as a late comer to the European family, with an administrative system that transitioned slowly from a hyper centralized arrangement to one that offers significant power to local governments. After 20 years since the ratification of the Charter, local government in Romania displays mixed elements, between progressive (protection of local authorities) and conservative (consultation of authorities, financial autonomy) in relation to the charter recommendations. The current article is an analysis on the state of affairs concerning local governance in Romania using the Charter as the main theoretical framework.

The Public Debt of French Local Government

1985 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 387-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre-Henri Derycke ◽  
Guy Gilbert
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Interest Rates ◽  
Public Debt ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Tight Control ◽  
The Public ◽  
Policy Measures ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTAfter a sharp increase, the public debt of French local communities has been stabilized in real terms: its amount reached 54 per cent of total public debt in 1980. In the French institutional framework, local government borrowing policy is under the tight control of central agencies. An econometric model of the borrowing behaviour of local governments since 1965 is presented; it emphasizes the role of internal determinants of local debt (needs for investment, self-financing ability of governments), external constraints (e.g. interest rates and the financial resources of lenders, such as households savings), and finally the impact of macroeconomic policy measures from the central government.

scholarly journals Financial Autonomy as an Aid to Rural Development: A Study of Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 63-72
Author(s):  
Egware O.N. ◽  
Akporien O.F. ◽  
Otuya S.
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Rural Development ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Survey Research ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Government Area ◽  
State Governments ◽  
Financial Autonomy ◽  
Effective Administration

Lack of financial autonomy and undue interference by state governments have been identified as some of the impediments to effective administration of local governments in Nigeria. To this end, this study was carried out to examine the effect of financial autonomy on rural development using Isoko North Local Government Area as a case study. The study adopted a survey research design; hence, data were collected through the use of questionnaires administered to the management and staff of selected departments in Isoko North Local Government Council. The findings of the study indicate that financial autonomy will contribute positively to rural development and service delivery in the area of study, and recommends that local governments should be made financially autonomous to promote rural development and enhance better service delivery.

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