The bureaucratisation of local government in Indonesia

Policy statements on rural development in New Order Indonesia devote considerable attention to engaging the participation of the rural population. To some extent this rhetorical posturing reflects a recognition of the central government's real dependence on local organisation in the realisation of its political and economic agenda

〔研究ノート〕 地域コミュニティ維持における 生活課題の認識と住民参加活動 ―北杜市の住民参加型福祉活動に関する考察を通して―

This study aims to clarify the recognition of welfare needs and the factors that promote community participation in efforts to maintain local communities by focusing on Hokuto City, a town in an increasingly depopulated mountain area. In an effort to counter depopulation, Hokuto is now actively accepting new residents. We have considered the welfare needs and activities of local residents, examples of community participation activities, and collaboration with local commercial entities. We conducted a literature review on the maintenance of local communities. We also conducted interviews with Hokuto City officials in administrative positions and analyzed publications and materials published by Hokuto City. In addition, we interviewed groups of residents to identify the local residents’ recognition of welfare needs and the status of welfare activities.In conclusion, it became clear that there is recognition of the welfare needs by local residents, including the need for welfare support for an aging population, the challenges of building relationships with new residents, and community welfare activities.Additionally, we have analyzed the status of active efforts based on such aspects as support from the local residents, and the creation of networks according to the needs of professionals, local residents, and commercial entities

Aboriginal Rights in Alaska

This paper was originally presented at Session A.1, "The Aborigine in comparative law," at the 12th Congress of the International Academy of Comparative Law, Sydney, Australia, August 1986. The paper as originally presented can be found at http://hdl.handle.net/11122/9784.This paper describes the current state of aboriginal rights in Alaska and the impact of federal and state laws and policies on Alaska Native political and legal rights, tribal status, self-determination, and access to tribal lands. Topics covered include the legal determination of Alaska Native identity, the legal status of Alaska Native groups, Alaska Native land rights, sovereignty and self-government, subsistence, recognition of family and kinship structures, the criminal justice system in rural Alaska, customary versus formal legal process, and human rights and equality before the law.Factual Background / Legal Identity and Membership / Legal Status of Native Groups / Land Rights/Self-Government/Use of Natural Resources (Local or Regional Governments; Control of or Participation in Decisions Concerning Natural Resources) / Recognition of Family/Kinship Structures (Experience under the Indian Child Welfare Act 1978; Impact on Customary Law) / Criminal Justice and Procedure: Impact of the Criminal Justice System (Relationship between Law Enforcement and Self-Government; Procedure and Customary Conflicts) / Special Legal Institutions (Local Methods of Dispute Resolution; Distribution of Funds, Benefits and Services, and Political Representation) / Human Rights and Equality Before the Law / Notes / Bibliograph

Foreigners, Immigrants, Host Cities: The Policies of Multi-Ethnicity in Rome. Reading Governance in a Local Context

This paper reviews the experience of Rome in dealing with the challenges posed by a multi-ethnic society. A central feature of the local political strategy is the “Pact of Integration”. The adoption of the Pact proposes governance as a model of participation including many actors, namely immigrant communities, in the comprehensive development of the quality of life of the city and not only in the decision-making mechanisms of local powers. The Pact represents a contract by which the social and political acceptance of foreigners in the local environment is perceived as benefiting both the foreign and autochthonous communities. On one hand, immigrants are incorporated into their local environment, following from the recognition of foreigners’ rights and needs for solidarity. On the other hand, foreigners are considered agents of local development insofar as they are both consumers and producers. The multiethnic society can then be a source of development. The preface by Franca Eckert Coen provides an overview of the city’s experiences in managing religious differences.Immigration, Governance, Multi-ethnicity

Understanding Local Political Participation In West Africa

A growing body of research suggests that institutional performance affects citizen participation (see Holzner 2010; Bratton, Mattes et al 2005; Hiskey and Bowler 2005). But despite this recognition of the importance of institutions, there is relatively limited research into the institutional determinants of political participation, particularly with respect to developing countries. This dissertation fills this gap by examining local political participation in Ghana and Liberia using an institutional approach. I employ qualitative analyses based on field work and primary source documents, as well as quantitative analyses at both the individual and contextual level. At the individual leveI, I find the performance of local government matters for political participation. Whether or not citizens perceive their local government as transparent and accountable, and whether government is corrupt makes a difference in how citizens engage with the local political system. The more transparent citizens perceive their local government to be, the more likely they are to participate in local politics. Greater experience with corruption also leads to higher levels of local participation. Analyses at the contextual level demonstrate that subnational institutions also matter for local political participation. Decentralization, the density of civil society, and the quality of local elections all affect participation. In a two-country pooled model, I show that higher levels of decentralization are associated with lower levels of local political participation, while higher density of civil society is associated with increased local political participation. Higher levels of spoiled ballots in national elections, a proxy indicator for electoral fraud, is associated with increased local political participation. Interestingly, these findings contrast with common claims that decentralization should increase participation and that poorly run elections should depress participation. They confirm expectations that an active civil society promotes participation. My research provides an institutional model for assessing the determinants of local political participation that can be applied to cases beyond those considered here. It also holds lessons for public administrators who seek to encourage citizen participation in local decision-making. It highlights for public administrators how variations in the institutional capacity of local government can affect citizen-government interactions. Higher levels of decentralization may not be achieving the goal of greater citizen participation in local decision-making. Given the results on civil society, local government initiatives to partner with and support civil society are likely to be fruitful

The Aborigine in Comparative Law: Subnational Report on Alaska Natives

A slightly revised version of this paper was published as: Conn, Stephen. (1987). "Aboriginal Rights in Alaska." Law & Anthropology: Internationales Jahrbuch für Rechtsanthropologie [International Yearbook for Legal Anthropology] 2: 73–91. Special issue on "The Aborigine in Comparative Law." Vienna, Austria: VWGO-Verlag. (http://hdl.handle.net/11122/9785).This paper describes the current state of aboriginal rights in Alaska and the impact of federal and state laws and policies on Alaska Native political and legal rights, tribal status, self-determination, and access to tribal lands. Topics covered include the legal determination of Alaska Native identity, the legal status of Alaska Native groups, Alaska Native land rights, sovereignty and self-government, subsistence, recognition of family and kinship structures, the criminal justice system in rural Alaska, customary versus formal legal process, and human rights and equality before the law.1. Factual Background / 2. Legal Identity and Membership / 3. Legal Status of Native Groups / 4. Land Rights/Self-Government/Use of Natural Resources (B. Local or Regional Governments; C. Control of or Participation in Decisions Concerning Natural Resources) / 5. Recognition of Family/Kinship Structures (Impact on customary law) / 6. Criminal Justice and Procedure: Impact of the Criminal Justice System (Procedure and Customary Conflicts) / 7. Special Legal Institutions (A. Local Methods of Dispute Resolution; B. and C. Distribution of Funds, Benefits and Services, and Political Representation — Other Institutions) / 8. Human Rights and Equality Before the Law Foototes / Bibliograph

Local identities, recognition and participation. Planning and management of rural areas of Medellin (Colombia).

Este artículo presenta los resultados de una investigación donde se usan la justicia ambiental y la comunicación para el cambio social como ejes teóricos. Se desarrolla con metodologías participativas en el contexto de las zonas rurales de Medellín durante el 2013. Su objetivo es identificar y clasificar las percepciones de los actores sociales que participan en la política de ordenamiento territorial. Los resultados que se encuentran son: (i) una gran diversidad de actores sociales, (ii) un alto nivel de dispersión de acciones en todo el territorio rural y (iii) unas identidades locales en constante cambio y reconstrucción, pero siempre asociadas a la ruralidad.El artículo finaliza subrayando algunas percepciones colectivas en respuesta a los efectos ambientales del modelo de expansión urbana y cómo los actores sociales de las cinco zonas rurales del municipio de Medellín cuentan con un legado de procesos de participación comunitaria con potencialidad para incidir con acciones locales en una justicia ambiental.This article presents the results of an investigation where environmental justice and communication for social change are used for social change as theoretical concepts. It develops with participatory methodologies in the context of rural areas of Medellin in 2013. Their goal is to identify and classify the perceptions of the social actors involved in the policies. The results found are (i) a wide range of social actors, (ii) a high level of dispersion of actions in all rural territories and (iii) a few local identities in constant change and reconstruction, but always associated with rural life.The article concludes by highlighting some collective perceptions in response to environmental effects of the model of urban expansion and how social actors in five rural areas of the municipality of Medellín have a legacy of community participation processes with the potentiality to influence local actions in a environmental justice.Este artigo apresenta os resultados de uma pesquisa onde se usa a justiça ambientale a comunicação para a mudança social como eixos teóricos. Desenvolve-se com metodologias participativas no contexto das zonas rurais de Medellín durante 2013. Seu objetivo é identificar e classificar as percepções dos atores sociais que participam da politica de ordenamento territorial. Os resultados que se encontram são (i) uma diversidade de atores sociais, (ii) um alto nível de dispersão de açõesem todo o território rural e (iii) umas identidades locais em constante mudança e reconstrução.O artigo finaliza salientando algumas percepções coletivas em resposta aos efeitos ambientais do modelo de expansão urbana e como os atores sociais das cinco zonas rurais do município de Medellín contam com um legado de processos de participação comunitária com potencialidades para incidir com ações locais em uma justiça ambiental

The Importance of Recognition for Equal Representation in Participatory Processes: Lessons from Husby

Despite the ambition to involve people on more equal terms, participation often still means that the audience is involved in clearly demarcated parts of the process and attempts to develop more deliberative democratic processes in urban planning often fail due to unequal representation in the participatory process. While sharing the general idea of the value of participatory processes, we will investigate some problematic features involved and suggest how some of these can be remedied. We employ the concept of recognition to analyse the conditions for public participation in a recent case of urban planning in the Stockholm suburb of Husby. This case is particularly interesting as it clearly demonstrates the impact of globalisation on local participatory processes. The results show the importance of broad recognition for equal representation in participatory processes, and the need for a plurality of public spheres to support long-term participation in the development of the common urban space

The institutionalisation of urban upgrading processes and community participation in Egypt

A conceptual framework, 'accountable bureaucratic capacity' is utilised to investigate the ability of local government to institutionalise collaborative urban upgrading measures in partnership with civil society organisations. The main argument is that the latter cannot contribute to sustainable development, democratisation or to protect citizens' rights in low-income neighbourhood without accountable representation from their side, a reciprocal and active representation from the citizens concerned, and an accountable public sector. The capacity of urban governance and the extent to which participatory initiatives can exploit the potential within existing structures and systems are examined. This examination allows an evaluation of how far a participatory project rated as 'good-practice' can enhance citizens' awareness of opportunities, political participation and local government performance, while building collaborative and institutionalised planning capacity. The research concludes that the sustainability of urban upgrading depends on the form of citizens' participation and the management styles of cities. Successful participation during an upgrading project may have 'transformative' potential to encourage citizens' political participation. If the citizens are not active, even though they reject the government's development agenda, or have to depend on 'informal' networks to provide their needs, they may be characterised as 'free-riders', who withdraw from urban governance and its collaborative decision-making processes. Legal recognition of squatter settlements is the first step required to institutionalise upgrading policies, particularly for indigenous or customary groups trying to survive in a world characterised by increasing interdependence and escalating threats to local ties. However, although this recognition strengthens a group's ability to negotiate and interact with non-group members, it may also have detrimental effects if it is not supported by additional legislation. Local government needs institutional reform and a strategic capacity-building programme to forge partnerships and the joint responsibility of the public and private sectors, as well as of civil society

Design Matters : CBNRM and Democratic Innovation

Community-based natural resource management (CBRNM) aims to realize sustainable management of resources and improvements in livelihood. A central focus is the empowerment of indigenous and local communities through customary or devolved rights to common pool resources. Less attention is given to the extent to which inclusive forms of governance are realized in CBNRM. Democratic innovations are institutions designed explicitly to increase and deepen citizen participation in political decision-making. A number of exemplary cases around the world provide evidence that it is possible to empower citizens in ways that are inclusive and achieve desirable outcomes such as redistribution, recognition of marginalized groups, and improved livelihoods. By clarifying elements of the design of democratic innovations - in particular goods, tasks, mechanisms, and co-design - it is possible to understand how effective forms of participatory governance can be crafted. With careful attention to the endogenous practices of indigenous and local communities and the governance structures imposed by public authorities, CBNRM practitioners can draw on these elements of democratic design to craft forms of inclusive participatory governance that promote sustainable management of resources and improve livelihoods. A program of collaboration between CBNRM and democratic innovations practitioners will contribute to improvements amongst both communities of practice and the communities they serve