Fostering Blueprints For Local Government Development

The Local Government Development Framework (LGDF) is a local governance performance measurement and monitoring tool based on government-citizen collaboration. Developed by RTI International, the LGDF provides for the establishment of demand-driven benchmarks and participatory assessments for the improvement of local governance, service delivery in particular. The paper presents the development-project origins of the LGDF beginning in the 1980s, comparatively examines LGDF’s strengths and weaknesses, and provides a step-by-step discussion of its utilization. Four developing countries in which the LGDF has been applied serve as examples. The LGDF involves, first, the establishment of performance benchmarks for the priority functions of the local government. Second, local officials and community stakeholders come together to collaboratively assess and score progress toward achieving the benchmarks. Third, local officials working with stakeholders develop action plans for achieving priority objectives. Finally, the process is regularly repeated to identify areas of improvement and future capacity-building needs. Successful implementation of the LGDF, we conclude, requires leadership, well-aligned political incentives, proper design and implementation, and dedication to the process. Yet it has withstood the test of time and proven to be an effective tool for bringing government together with the community to achieve local development objectives.

The Local Government Development Framework (LGDF) is a local governance performance measurement and monitoring tool based on government-citizen collaboration. Developed by RTI International, the LGDF provides for the establishment of demand-driven benchmarks and participatory assessments for the improvement of local governance, service delivery in particular. The paper presents the development-project origins of the LGDF beginning in the 1980s, comparatively examines LGDF’s strengths and weaknesses, and provides a step-by-step discussion of its utilization. Four developing countries in which the LGDF has been applied serve as examples. The LGDF involves, first, the establishment of performance benchmarks for the priority functions of the local government. Second, local officials and community stakeholders come together to collaboratively assess and score progress toward achieving the benchmarks. Third, local officials working with stakeholders develop action plans for achieving priority objectives. Finally, the process is regularly repeated to identify areas of improvement and future capacity-building needs. Successful implementation of the LGDF, we conclude, requires leadership, well-aligned political incentives, proper design and implementation, and dedication to the process. Yet, it has withstood the test of time and proven to be an effective tool for bringing government together with the community to achieve local development objectives.

RTI International has extensive experience implementing international donor-funded programs and projects, including single-sector and multisector policy and service-delivery improvement efforts, as well as governance and public management reforms. Drawing on that experience, this collection examines six recent RTI International projects, funded mostly by the United States Agency for International Development, that pursued several different paths to integrating service delivery and governance through engaging citizens, public officials, and service providers on issues related to accountability and sectoral services. The six cases illustrate the multiple ways in which citizen participation in accountability, called social accountability, can lead to positive effects on governance, citizen empowerment, and service delivery. The analysis focuses on both the intended and actual effects, and unpacks the influence of context on implementation and the outcomes achieved.

The OECD report Urban-Rural Linkages in Poland analyses the potential of urban and rural territories for development and improved well-being. Urban and rural areas have different yet often complementary assets, and their better integration is important for socio-economic and environmental performance.

This book is a collection of essays, bringing together seventeen contributions from different disciplines, with various, but complementary points of view, to discuss the directions and key components of risk governance. Some of the many issues of interest to risk scholars addressed in this work include the analysis of proactive approaches to the governance of risk from natural hazards; approaches to broaden the scope of public policies related to the management of risks from natural hazards, including emergency and environmental management, community development and spatial planning.

Urban planning as a discipline is deeply integral to implementing a low-carbon future. This book fosters an understanding for how the rules-in-use that govern urban planning influence the ability to implement low-carbon development patterns. Drawing on the theoretical foundations of the climate governance and urban planning literatures, the book provides a context to understand plan implementation challenges and obstacles in metropolitan areas. As metropolitan regions across the globe seek to reduce emissions from transportation, many levels of governments have developed ambitious climate action plans that make land use and transportation recommendations in order to reduce vehicle miles traveled. Many have recommended low-carbon development patterns which are characterized by intensified and diversified uses around rapid transit stations. However, the implementation of these recommendations is done within the context of different "rules-in-use" unique to the planning systems in each metropolitan region. The book examines the rules-in-use in three metropolitan regions of similar demographic size: the Metro Vancouver, Puget Sound, and the Stuttgart regions. By examining the implementation of low-carbon development patterns, the book focuses on growth management related questions about how to coordinate transit investments with land use decisions in metropolitan regions. The book finds that state legislation that deals with metropolitan planning and regional growth strategies can greatly aid in creating accountability among actors as well as provide a road map to navigate conflicts when implementing low-carbon development patterns. By focusing on the rules-in-use, the book is of interest to policy-makers, planners, advocates, and researchers who wish to assess and improve the odds of implementing low-carbon development patterns in a metropolitan region.

This new collection focuses on the impact of sprawl on biodiversity and the measures that can be taken to alleviate it. Leading biological and social scientists, conservationists, and land-use professionals examine how sprawl affects species and alters natural communities, ecosystems, and natural processes. The contributors integrate biodiversity issues, concerns, and needs into the growing number of anti-sprawl initiatives, including the "smart growth" and "new urbanist" movements.