Indicators Of The Characteristics Of Urban Governance_reja

URP 4221: Urban Governance

Indicators of the Characteristics of Good Urban Governance

Submitted By Student Id 030413

Date of Submission: September 17, 2007

Urban and Rural Planning Discipline Khulna University, Khulna

Indicators of characteristics of Good Urban Governance

Introduction Urban Governance is most important issues in the world. In 2007 there are about 50% of total populations live in urban area in the world. Almost 180 thousand people are added to the urban population everyday. So, good urban governance is most desirable issue now. In this report we are trying to find the characteristics of good urban governance and the indicators of those characteristics. Urban Governance Urban governance can be defined as the sum of the many ways individuals and institutions, public and private, plan and manage the common affairs of the city. It is a continuing process through which conflicting or diverse interests may be accommodated and cooperative action can be taken. It includes formal institutions as well as informal arrangements and the social capital of citizens. The Global Campaign on Urban Governance proposes that good urban governance is characterized by a series of principles, which are interdependent and mutually reinforcing. (UN-Habitants) Urban Governance is the sum of cumulative practice of behaviour and attitude of the government as seen in the manner they create and use the said devolutionary instruments. Form, style, systems, methods, and procedures of government generally reflect the pattern of governance in a nation or city. The quality and effectiveness of governance depend mostly on how judiciously the government uses the said instruments to help people achieve the ultimate goal of their progress - justice, equity and peace. According to UNDP, 'Urban Governance is viewed as the exercise of economic, political and administrative authority to manage a country's affairs at all levels. It comprises mechanisms, processes, an institution through which citizens and groups of articulate their interests, exercise their legal rights, meet their obligations, and mediate their differences.' These new responsibilities have been thrust on local administrations by superior governments so suddenly and without the necessary power, authority, resources and training to manage them as desired. In some countries, some actions by higher levels of government have resulted in serious erosion of the existing municipal revenue base. Good Urban Governance Good urban governance has 8 major characteristics. It is participatory, consensus oriented, accountable, transparent, responsive, effective and efficient, equitable and inclusive and follows the rule of law. It assures that corruption is minimized, the views of minorities are taken into account and that the voices of the most vulnerable in society are heard in decision-making. It is also responsive to the present and future needs of society.

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Indicators of characteristics of Good Urban Governance

Figure: Characteristics of good governance http://www.unescap.org/pdd/prs/ProjectActivities/Ongoing/gg/governance.asp (15.09.2007)

Participation Participation by both men and women is a key cornerstone of good governance. Participation could be either direct or through legitimate intermediate institutions or representatives. It is important to point out that representative democracy does not necessarily mean that the concerns of the most vulnerable in society would be taken into consideration in decision making. Participation needs to be informed and organized. This means freedom of association and expression on the one hand and an organized civil society on the other hand. Rule of law Good governance requires fair legal frameworks that are enforced impartially. It also requires full protection of human rights, particularly those of minorities. Impartial enforcement of laws requires an independent judiciary and an impartial and incorruptible police force. Transparency Transparency means that decisions taken and their enforcement are done in a manner that follows rules and regulations. It also means that information is freely available and directly accessible to those who will be affected by such decisions and their enforcement. It also means that enough information is provided and that it is provided in easily understandable forms and media. Responsiveness Good governance requires that institutions and processes try to serve all stakeholders within a reasonable timeframe. Consensus oriented There are several actors and as many view points in a given society. Good governance requires mediation of the different interests in society to reach a broad consensus in society on what is in the best interest of the whole community and how this can be achieved. It also requires a broad and long-term perspective on what is needed for sustainable human development and how to achieve the goals of such development. This

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Indicators of characteristics of Good Urban Governance

can only result from an understanding of the historical, cultural and social contexts of a given society or community. Equity and inclusiveness A society’s well being depends on ensuring that all its members feel that they have a stake in it and do not feel excluded from the mainstream of society. This requires all groups, but particularly the most vulnerable, have opportunities to improve or maintain their well being. Effectiveness and efficiency Good governance means that processes and institutions produce results that meet the needs of society while making the best use of resources at their disposal. The concept of efficiency in the context of good governance also covers the sustainable use of natural resources and the protection of the environment. Accountability Accountability is a key requirement of good governance. Not only governmental institutions but also the private sector and civil society organizations must be accountable to the public and to their institutional stakeholders. Who is accountable to whom varies depending on whether decisions or actions taken are internal or external to an organization or institution. In general an organization or an institution is accountable to those who will be affected by its decisions or actions. Accountability cannot be enforced without transparency and the rule of law.

Top 12 Urban Governance issues/indicators 1. Consumer satisfaction (survey/complaints) 2. Openness of procedures for contracts/tenders for municipal services 3. Equity in tax system 4. Sources of local government funding ((taxes, user charges, borrowing, central government, international aid) 5. Percentage of population served by services 6. Access of public to stages of policy cycle 7. Fairness in enforcing laws 8. Incorporation of excluded groups in the consultation process 9. Clarity of procedures and regulations and responsibilities 10. Existing participatory processes 11. Freedom of media and existence of local media 12. Autonomy of financial resources http://www.gdrc.org/u-gov/indicators.html (Date: September 15, 2007)

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Indicators of characteristics of Good Urban Governance

Indicators of Characteristics of Urban Governance Table 1: Character wise indicators of good urban governance Characteristics Participation

Indicators of Characteristics ■ Elected council ■ Selection of Mayor ■ Voter turnout ■ Public forum ■ Levels of input of women/men at different levels (government departments, NGOs, local stakeholders) to identification and planning. ■ Numbers of identification and planning meetings held with local stakeholders. ■ Attendance by local stakeholders at identification and planning meetings by sex, socio-economic grouping, age and ethnicity. ■ Levels of contribution/participation by local stakeholders at identification and planning meetings. ■ Levels of participation by local stakeholders to base-line study. ■ Audit of resources or funds held regularly and openly. ■ Existence of a set of rules that were developed in a participatory fashion, and in which all members of the community were partly/fully involved. ■ Reduced reliance on external funds. ■ Frequency of attendance by women and men, by socioeconomic grouping. ■ Number of women and men in key decision-making positions, by socio-economic grouping. ■ Rotation of people in leadership positions. ■ Levels of women’s and men’s inputs, by socio-economic grouping, in terms of labor, tools, etc. ■ Socio-economic, age and ethnic make-up of women and men attending meetings. ■ Levels of participation by different stakeholders in evaluation. ■ Degree to which lessons of evaluation are acted upon by different stakeholders. Source: Canadian International Development Agency’s 1997 publication “The Why and How of Gender-Sensitive Indicators: A Project Level Handbook.”

Rule of Law

Transparency

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Responsiveness

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Human rights Economic rights Judicial rights Civic rights Transparency of economic and financial mechanism and expenditure Transparency in Budget Transparency of economic policy making Transparency of public administration Political transparency Transparency of NGO activities and projects Survey

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Indicators of characteristics of Good Urban Governance

Consensus oriented

Equity and inclusiveness

Effectiveness and efficiency

Accountability

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Public participation consultative council meeting/projects public hearing Historical Cultural Social Citizens’ Charter: right of access to basic services Percentage of women councilors in local authorities Pro-poor pricing policies for water Incentives for informal businesses

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Local government revenue per capita Ratio of actual recurrent and capital budget Local government revenue transfers Ratio of mandated to actual tax collection Predictability of transfers in local government budget Published performance delivery standards Consumer Satisfaction Survey Existence of a vision statement Formal publication (contracts and tenders; budgets and accounts) Control by higher levels of government Codes of Conduct Facility for citizen complaints Anti-corruption Commission Disclosure of Income/Assets Independent audit Legal requirements Administrative polices Property Founds Manpower Other resources Economic performances

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Conclusion

To identify of any government to know the government good or not cleared by the indicators of the characteristics of that government. So, the indicators of a good government are so important. We can find out the weakness and strengths of a government by those indicators. Those indicators help to improve the quality of a government.

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Indicators of characteristics of Good Urban Governance

Bibliography

■ Seneviratne, Kalinga & Thanenthiran, Sivananthi(Unknown), Cities, Chaos & Creativity, The Urban Governance Initiative(TUGI), Malaysia

■ Canadian International Development Agency’s 1997 publication “The Why and How of Gender-Sensitive Indicators: A Project Level Handbook.”

■ http://www.gdrc.org/u-gov/indicators.html (Access date: September 15, 2007) ■ http://www.unescap.org/pdd/prs/ProjectActivities/Ongoing/gg/governance.asp (Access date: September 15, 2007)

■ Urban Governance Index(UGI), Global Campaign on Urban Governance, UNHabitants

■ http://www.unhabitat.org/ governance (Access date: September 15, 2007)

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