Supporting decentralised urban governance : training women municipal councillors in Mumbai, India

India;urban areas;local government;training programmes;women's participation

Land governance of suburban areas of Vietnam

After the Doi Moi (‘renovation’) reforms in Vietnam from 1986, land ownership rules were adjusted, effectively terminating former land collectivisation efforts. While land ownership remained fully under the control of the state, a 1993 land law conferred 20-year leaseholds to most farmers. They could now utilize farm land individually, and sell, swap and mortgage the land in a situation similar to private ownership. These leaseholds are now expiring and a new 2013 land law is in the making. This paper was initially written for UNDP Vietnam which supports Vietnam to help formulate a strong new land law, and brings out the complexities of land governance in the suburban areas of fast expanding Vietnamese cities. It first considers the present and changing land use of suburban areas and the key stakeholders involved here – powerful State Owned Enterprises, farmers, bureaucrats and communist party leaders. Planning practices are then assessed – and seen to be both rigid and complex, with different departments at various levels working at cross purposes under conditions of conflicting rules, laws and weak capacities. This is one reason for the dominance of informal arrangements and widespread corruption, where powerful actors benefit hugely and illegally from conditions of opacity and informal networks. Overall outcomes are that cities expand in a haphazard (‘leapfrog’) and inefficient manner, with insufficient attention for timely and adequate infrastructure, the environment and for people’s welfare as in social amenities and parks. As a result of lopsided incentive systems, it is the state which foregoes huge incomes and faces more costly investments, while many suburban farmers are affected through (arbitrary) land acquisition and inadequate compensation

Tracing the Welfare and Livelihood Choices of Farm Households following Displacement through Land Recovery in Vietnam

Over the last two decades, an estimated 4 million people in Vietnam have been affected or had their lives disrupted by the loss of or the forced eviction from their land or though land conversion where the state decided that it was to be used for other purposes. Most of them are farming households, many of whom suffered negative consequences in terms of lower incomes, unemployment and a lower social status. Some may have managed to enhance their welfare, but on the whole there is little systematic evidence on the overall impacts they had to deal with. But it is certain that the majority of farming households who were displaced – losing house and land - faced a deterioration of their wellbeing and livelihood opportunities in the long run, and after the often limited compensation money had been spent. The problems Vietnamese farmers face here are expected to only increase in the future as large quantities of land will be recovered to expand infrastructure, industrial parks, residential areas, and urban-related facilities. This is increasingly controversial and contested, as seen in numerous incidents where farmers protest fiercely or even with arms against forced evictions, against what they see as insufficient compensation for land, the arbitrary purposes for requisition, and a flawed application of rules and procedures. Efforts are under way to adopt a new Land Law in 2013, which proves very complicated in view of the huge interests involved. This paper addresses these issues with a view to better understand the impacts of land recovery on farmer households followed by displacement in Vietnam in terms of their welfare, well-being and livelihood choices, while providing policy recommendations

Towards good governance at the local level : the role of grassroots institutions

governance;Netherlands;voluntary organizations;local government;developing countries;foreign aid;grass roots groups;institution building;participatory approach

Learning Lessons from The Bangalore Urban Poverty Alleviation Programme: Participatory Approaches to Urban Development

The present report contains the findings of a review study of the BUPP programme in the context of the SINPA programme. This study aims to be relevant in a practical, operational sense, first for the Bangladesh city of Tangail, then for other cities in Bangladesh which want to set up Urban Platforms, and also for the other SINPA countries Zambia and Bolivia. It aimed to collect concrete and applicable suggestions and recommendations leading from the experiences of stakeholders involved in the BUPP programme (see an abstract of the study’s Terms of Reference in annex II)

Accountability in formal and informal institutions: a cross country analysis

The concept and practices of accountability enjoy considerable interest today, not least due to the World Development Report WDR 2004 on service delivery, which formulated the ëtriangle of accountabilityí - specifying relations between the poor, service providers, policy makers and politicians. This paper  explores accountability starting from realities faced by the poor across countries and diverse institutional contexts. It is postulated that, even while the WDR does acknowledge the importance of clientelism and the risk of politicisation of policy, there is insufficient recognition ñ especially for the poor and women, but not limited to them- of the power dimensions of accountability, institutionalised inequalities and low claim making powers, access problems and the importance of bribes to get things done. Such issues undermine accountability mechanisms in what may be called ëmoderní or formal institutional settings. The question arises as to whether there are well performing accountability mechanisms in more traditional/ëindigenousí or informal institutions and settings, where people may (still) rely on or build on well established and culturally rooted accountability practices. This paper is an initial exploration and analysis of accountability mechanisms in a sample of 22 ëmoderní, ëindigenous/traditionalí or ëmixedí institutions - and attempts to identify patterns of mechanisms that seem to be effective, and to assess conditions that may be conducive to effective accountability arrangements

Towards good governance at the local level : the role of grassroots institutions

This paper questions current efforts to bring about good governance in developing countries. While the good governance agenda has mostly been targeted at national governments, it is argued that good governance efforts should be aimed at thelocal, municipal level, where the poor, excluded and oppressed live, and where - ideally- proper policies are implemented and national legislation is enforced. However, thekey institution here - local government - is often very weak in terms of capacity, finance, and self-interested interference by the rich, the powerful and politicians. Interventions by central governments and donors will not suffice to bring about the changesrequired. One way out could be organised pressure and participation from below inwhat is termed participatory governance - including partnerships between local government, NGOs, and formal as well as informal (endogenous) community organisations. Examples of such governance are presented, as well as practical suggestions fordonors and other organisations relating to improved governance