UNDP defines governance as the exercise of political, economic and administrative authority in the management of a country at all levels, understanding mechanisms, processes and institutions through which social citizens and groups articulate their interests, while measuring their differences and exercising their legal rights and obligations. Governance includes the State, but transcends it, and includes every sector of society.

Democratic Local Governance refers to sub-national units, local councils, provinces/states, municipal networks and their insertion in the national democratic governance, along with their specifics. This implies that the political regime and its origin need to be considered as a source of legitimate authority and the independence of powers (executive authority, advice/legislature, justice). This also implies the relationship between the local government, the private sector and the organization of civil society, the level of citizen’s participation which includes the mechanism of accessing information, presentation and debates at the demand of the community, and the surrender of horizontal accounts.

LOCAL GOVERNANCE

The impulse of reforms began in the 1980’s and they follow the redefinition of the role, profile and capacities of local governments in relation to the national State. In order to be precise on some of the causes that contribute to the characterization of the local environment as a more appropriate place for the development of political management we can mention: the growing urbanization processes, the decentralisation processes that were transferred in some countries, competition and resources of national and local governments, the verification of which local productive systems were able to adapt themselves to the global requirements, and the processes of a growing and engaging citizen and community participation.

It is very difficult to generalize the diversity of competitions, responsibilities and norms that Local Governments have in Latin American and the Caribbean. We can consider that traditionally these have been the providers of basic public services such as running water, sewers and sewage systems, public lighting systems, clearing and recollection of waste, and in addition, those who are in charge of maintenance and construction of infrastructure of systems and basic attention such as education and health. Although it must be indicated that the quality or deficiency of these services have a direct impact in the development of children and their families, the current process of re-evaluation and revitalization of local governments, favoured  capacities for the integral design of politics that achieved and geared towards implementation. 

During the final years, different reform trends have been applied in order to develop processes of decentralisation in most of the countries in the region, and although decentralisation continues being a crossed process of super positions, contradictions and duplicities with the central power/authority, it is gradually verified that local governments have been acquiring competitions and responsibilities within the political systems.

DECENTRALISATION