ToolBOX
Methodological Guidelines for Local Governance Analysis
| Purpose |
The overall purpose of the Agenda on Local Governance in Latin America is to help inform the design of projects to enhance local governance and to introduce an instrument to help monitor and promote good governance processes at the local level. The guidelines have two specific objectives:
• to develop a diagnostic tool about local governance conditions; and |
|---|---|
| Types of data used |
The information collected is both subjective and objective: citizen surveys (generally through personal interviews); city (and national) statistics and regulations; available administrative data. |
| Methodology |
The guidelines suggest that good local governance presupposes six specific requirements: strategic vision, legitimacy and leadership, active and positive relationships between actors, appropriate institutional capacity, citizen participation, and a focus on human development. These six requirements are assessed based on specific targets and indicators (see Table 9). For each indicator, various evaluation criteria are proposed against which the actors involved can make the assessment. The evaluation involves expressing a judgement with respect to the various criteria, on a numerical scale between 1 and 5, while explaining the reason for the response.The evaluation can include statements (1 = totally disagree,to 5 = totally agree) or percentages (1 = 0-20%, 2 = 21-40%, 3 = 41-60%, 4 = 61-80%, 5 = 81-100%). After analysing the results, the local actors involved are expected to propose an action plan to strengthen the quality of local governance. |
| Region |
Latin America and the Caribbean
|
| Area of Governance |
Local Governance and Decentralization
|
| Pro-poor /gender sensitive aspects |
No explicit gender focus. No reference to gender issues either in the Agenda or in the guidelines for assessing Local Governance. The Agenda and the Guidelines for assessing Local Governance aim to contribute to the eradication of poverty and the promotion of human development by promoting good governance. However, governance-poverty linkages are not explicitly addressed, except for one indicator measuring the “percentage of population who are above the poverty line”, under the section “results in human development”. |
| Example indicators |
1 Strategic Vision
Target 1.1 The existence of a strategic plan for local development which will contain the consensual formulation of a strategic vision. Target 1.2 Continuity of Public Policy
2 Legitimacy and Leadership
Target 2.1 Identification of individuals and organizations with drawing power.
Target 2.2 Public support for processes undertaken 3 Active and Positive Relationship Between Actors
Target 3.1 Full exercise of the right to self-determination Target 3.2 Harmony in horizontal power relations 4 Institutional Capacity
Target 4.1 Transparency in public administration
Target 4.2 A technically qualified team Target 4.3 Financial sustainability of processes Target 4.4 Effectiveness of the law Target 4.5 Quality in the delivery of services 5 Citizen Participation
Target 5.1 Significant electoral participation Target 5.2 Promotion of civic participation 6 Results in Human Development
Target 6.1 Establishment of aims in human development
|
| Organization |
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)- Regio...
|
| Where to find this tool |