Local Government and Sustainable Development /Post-1

Local Government and Sustainable Development 

                 ---S M Mehedi Hasan

Introduction:

Governments are likely to apply different types of devices such as policies, regulations, economic mechanisms to ensure sustainability practices. Local governments in this respect are essential due to their closeness to people and their better location in terms of understanding the necessities, challenges and prospects persuading peoples’ manner and practices that promote  ‘the transition to sustainable lifestyles, livelihoods and improved well-being’(Bakshi 2012,1).

Local government is also important to involve people with other levels of governance actors and bring together different stakeholders with diverse means and skills that match central governments’ policy to SD. This paper presents a definition of Local Government in terms of SD, examines its importance to making improvement towards SD, analyzes the issue of LGs that restrain or deliver opportunities to SD in Local Government efforts, reflects on the processes needed to make changes for SD relating LGs and finally gives a list recommendations for future strategic actions to design mechanisms to stimulate sustainable local governance.

What is Local Government?

Local Government is ‘political creature’ which is distinctively located to realize local requirements and offers delivery of services ‘on the ground’ (SDC 2012, 15).Its financial, legislative and policymaking authority ‘extends over the smallest geographical areas distinguished for administrative and political purposes’ (OECD 2007, 452). 

Local Government is formed to network the spirit of democracy from the central to the remote regions (Hasan 2013).It is further defined as the ‘democratically elected authority that exercises political choices within denoted boundaries’( John 2001,34). The spirit is that locally elected body will be in responsibility of local matters affecting local people. 

Local government is the governing authority that deals with the public affairs at the local levels ,steers administrative purposes in favor of national government, comes at the  door of the people to provide basic services giving better access to community groups, and allows people  to participate in decision-making process that affect them .Khan ( 2000, cited in Waheduzaman 2010) mentioned that decentralized local government institutions build political leadership, guarantee people’s participation, create accountable administration and implement people oriented development programs.

To be continued-

Posted by-

S.M. Mehedi Hasan

BCS (Administration)

ID- 16194

27th Batch

Upazila Nirbahi Officer

Kishoreganj, Nilphamari

Bangladesh