WHAT IS

LOCAL
GOVERNANCE
Dir. Jonas George S. Soriano
Development Academy of the Philippines

WHAT IS LOCAL
GOVERNANCE?
What Is
A Local Government

Local Government
Local government refers to specific
institutions or entities created either of
the following: 1) national constitutions; 2)
state constitutions; 3) ordinary legislation
of a higher level of central government;
4) by provincial or state legislation or 5)
by executive order; to deliver a range of
specified services to a relatively small
geo- graphically delineated area.

Created by National Institutions

Brazil

Sweden

Japan

France

Denmark

India

Italy

by state constitutions

Australia

United States

ordinary legislation of a higher

level of central government

New Zealand

United Kingdom,

And most countries

by provincial or state legislation

Canada

Pakistan

by executive order

China

Local Government

to deliver a range of specified

services to a relatively small
geographically delineated area.

Local Government

 Local governance is a broader concept and is

defined as the formulation and execution of
collective action at the local level. Thus, it
encompasses the direct and indirect roles of formal
institutions of local government and government
hierarchies, as well as the roles of informal norms,
networks, community organizations, and
neighborhood associations in pursuing collective
action by defining the framework for citizen-citizen
and citizen-state interactions, collective deci- sion
making, and delivery of local public services.

 Local governance, therefore, includes the diverse

objectives of vibrant, living, working, and
environmentally preserved self-governing
communities.
Good local governance is not just about providing
a range of local ser- vices but also about preserving
the life and liberty of residents, creating space for
democratic participation and civic dialogue,
supporting market-led and environmentally
sustainable local development, and facilitating
outcomes that enrich the quality of life of residents.

To study governments, geographers

look at the following:
Types Who rules and who
participates.
Systems How the power is
distributed.

Why Do We Have Governments?

All countries require governments to
function.
Governments provide laws, structure,
public services, and national defense.
There are different types of governments:
o democracies
o republics
o monarchies
o dictatorships

Systems of Government are based

on one question: How is the
power distributed?

There are three ways

governments distribute power:
o Unitary
o Confederation
o Federal

How Is Power Shared?

Federal
Confederation
Unitary

Image from Center of Civic Education. 2008

Unitary
One central government controls
everything.
Power is not shared between states,
counties, or provinces.
Examples : United Kingdom, France,
the Netherlands, Spain, and former
Soviet Union

Unitary
Diagram:

Unitary Governments of
the World
(All countries in blue)

Confederation
Two Options:
o A. A voluntary or weak association of
independent states that agrees to follow a
powerful central government.
o B. Nations can choose to follow or not follow
the lead of the weak central government.

Examples: Confederate States of America

( 1861-1865), European Union,
Switzerland

Confederation
Diagram:

Federal
Power is shared by a powerful central
government.
States or provinces are given
considerable self rule, usually through
their own legislatures.
Examples: United States of America,
Federal Republic of Germany

Should the national government, state

government, or both have these powers?

List of Powers Shared in a Federal

Government
Issue drivers licenses

Make laws for the

environment

Collect taxes

Conduct elections

Create marriage laws

Punish law breakers

Declare war

Create standards for schools

Make agreements with other

countries

Defend the country

Coin money

Protect citizen rights

Federal System
Diagram:

Federal Governments of the World

(All countries in green)

Written Summary: How is the power

distributed politically?

Image from Center of Civic Education. 2008

Primary Goals of a
Desirable Local
Government System
Royal Commission on Municipal Government in
Newfoundland and Labrador (1974)

Access
Access is about the closeness of residents
to their government and opportunities for
them to make their views known to those
elected. Municipal governments are held as
more accessible than senior levels of
government and more open to the
possibility of residents involvement. They are
places of active democracy and residents
empowerment. Ease of access and
closeness, however, must be balanced with
the need for effectiveness and efficiency.

Service
This goal area is about having the
administrative capacity to provide facilities
and services in accordance with the needs
and wishes of the local residents. The value
of closeness and residents accessibility
are diminished if there is not the
administrative capacity to deal with the
issues that concern them.

Identity
This is about the ability of a governance structure to
preserve and even promote community identity or
uniqueness. Real differences among municipalities
provide for real choices for people as to where they
want to live. While municipal government aims to
reflect the uniqueness of the community it
represents, it also shapes community identity. It
must, therefore, evolve to account for a
communitys changing identity or character, or risk
becoming a barrier to that same communitys
development. In effect, a local government is really
a key instrument to serve a community in its
development.

Representation
This goal is about local ownership of
decisions and the general responsiveness of
the local government political process.
Municipal governments are purported to
provide greater local knowledge of the
situations about which decisions are being
made. Local perspective, however, must be
reconciled with the larger interest and not
turned into parochialism.

Efficiency
This goal is about the relationship between inputs
and outputs. Efficiency deals with the quantity of
resources (physical, human and financial) required
to deliver a set of services. Efficiency is improved
when the same set of services can be delivered
with less resources
or when more services can be delivered with the
same quantity of resources. It involves financial and
structural aims, i.e., economies of scale and
coordination of services. Efficiency, however, should
not be the only deciding factor in adopting a local
governance structure.

Effectiveness
Effectiveness relates to the ability to
achieve both democratic and service
goals and objectives. However,
democratic and service goals must be
achievable with efficiency.
Effectiveness must, therefore, be
balanced with efficiency.

Self-reliance
This goal is about municipal government
independence in relation to the provincial
government. It relates to the ability of local
government to function independently of the
provincial government from a
legal, financial, and human resources standpoint.
This autonomy or independence, however, should
always be exercised in the broader context of the
provincial common interest and with a view to the
well being of other communities.

Simplicity
This goal relates to the ease of understanding of the
local government structure (this includes not only
municipal government itself but other governance
institutions such as special purpose agencies) for
residents as the voters/participants and as the
service users. Ease of understanding and clear
operational purposes are indicators
of effective local governance. Simplicity of
structures should not, however, stand in the way of
sound and effective local governance
organization.

Accountability
This refers to the degree to which responsibility for
action(s)- decision(s) can be identified/understood
and the extent to which officials assigned such
responsibility can be held responsible for their
action(s)-decision(s) or lack thereof. Lines of
responsibility must be relatively clear both internally
(among employees and elected officials) and
externally (in the eyes of voters). Multiple layers of
governance tend to muddy accountability. In other
words, it can become difficult for a citizen to
determine who is responsible for making a decision
and to whom a concern is to be expressed.

 Salamat Po