Local democracy and inclusive governance Archives

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[ February 17, 2026 ] Reimagining democracy from the ground up Decentralization
[ February 17, 2026 ] Local public finances and the SDGs: How are European cities rewiring budgeting for a sustainable future? Cities and urban development
[ February 8, 2026 ] How India’s Sixteenth Finance Commission chose stability over disruption Asia
[ February 4, 2026 ] Leadership transition at the Local Public Sector Alliance Local Public Sector Alliance
[ January 31, 2026 ] Devolved health services in Kenya: Access, efficiency, and the unfinished business of devolution Africa

Reimagining democracy from the ground up

February 17, 2026 Limabenla Jamir

In their newly-published open access volume, Citizen Participation in Local Governance: An Urban–Rural Perspective (Springer, 2026), Karl Kössler and Eva Schläppi bring together insights from 18 partner institutions across six continents to examine one of […]

Can federalism constrain authoritarianism?

January 26, 2026 LPS Alliance

Across the globe, democratic backsliding increasingly originates not from military coups or constitutional breakdowns, but from elected executives who concentrate power from within the system. Courts are packed, legislatures sidelined, and independent agencies weakened—often through […]

Gen Z protests and the case for inclusive and effective multilevel governance

December 4, 2025 LPS Alliance

Over the past several years, countries across different parts of the world—including Africa, South Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America—have experienced a surge of youth-led protest movements often referred to as “Gen Z […]

Local governments as engines of citizen engagement in Africa

December 1, 2025 LPS Alliance

Afrobarometer’s African Insights 2025 report offers a rich and timely window into how citizens across the continent are engaging in public life, making demands on their leaders, and asserting democratic voice. While the report covers […]

Democratic renewal begins locally

October 25, 2025 Marina Jandrevska

As democratic institutions worldwide grapple with declining trust, growing polarization, and the pressures of misinformation, a recent OECD Discussion Paper —Exploring New Frontiers of Citizen Participation in the Policy Cycle –offers a timely framework for […]

From decentralization to recentralization in Turkey

September 22, 2025 LPS Alliance

When the Turkish Justice and Development Party (AKP) swept into power in 2002, it promised to loosen the rigid centralism that had long defined the Turkish state. In its first years, the party advanced decentralizing […]

Centralization, Elite Capture, and Service Provision: Evidence From Taiwan

July 27, 2025 LPS Alliance

Champions of decentralization often argue that decentralization reforms have the potential to achieve a more inclusive and efficient public sector. This notion is based on the assumption that local governments—being closer to the people—are more […]

Global democracy trumped? 25 years of autocratization

May 22, 2025 Jamie Boex

Decentralization can be thought of as reforms that seek to achieve the empowerment of people through the empowerment of local governments. This presumes, however, that governments—at all levels—adhere to a degree of representative democracy (as […]

Decentralization and Criminal Gangs in El Salvador

April 9, 2025 LPS Alliance

Over the past two decades, decentralization has been widely embraced as a pathway to stronger governance, more responsive service delivery, and increased local accountability. In El Salvador, this model helped democratize the political landscape after […]

Call for Panelists – Protecting Local Leadership: Addressing Criminality, Intimidation, and Threats to Democratic Governance

January 8, 2025 Limabenla Jamir

The Local Public Sector Alliance (LPSA) Thematic Working Group on Local Democracy, Inclusive Governance, and Community-led Development invites you to participate as a speaker in an upcoming panel discussion to protect local leadership and strengthen […]