Local Government and Sustainable Development/Post-3

Significance of LG to make Progress towards SD

Local government is  the ‘key unit for environmental care’ ( Roseland 1992,14) and the next-door level of government to the people, recognizes people’s real necessities, and respond to those needs faster and better than other national and sub-national governments; which ultimately would help engage in sustainability programs ( Bakshi 2012,14).Since local governments are local, they have power to ‘promote civic pride and leadership ‘and guarantee ‘local democracy’ (Selman 1991, cited in Plummer 2005, 36) playing a significant role in promoting sustainable development.

Further, the role of the   cities in the developed industrialized countries ‘deserves much more scrutiny in the context of human settlements and the environmental crisis’ because of their massive impact on the changing ecosystem of the earth(Roseland 1992,22).The ecological preference in sustainability measures need to be reflected in how local governments consider and change sustainability strategies.

A greater role of local government in sustainability debate is not amazing because a greater amount of the world’s production, consumption and waste generation happen in urban zones. Therefore, though the national and international discussion on sustainable development is essential, the “rubber hits the road” at the local level (Saha 2010, 17).

Local government ensures direct people’s participation being nearer to their residents as contrasting to the state or federal government and more aloof from influential ‘lobbies’ playing a significant part in determining ‘national priorities’ (Newman and Kenworthy1999, Saha 2010,20 ). Given these causes, local government   is likely to resolve environmental crises and can innovate new methods to sustainable development (Roseland 1992, p. 22).

Local action also increases the effectiveness of ‘trans-boundary decisions’, manages common properties to reach ‘economies of scale’ and decreases the transaction cost of the sustainability programs (Feiock and Coutts, 2013 ,2) Local networks and institutions are required to manage ‘the co-benefits of sustainability’ to improve positive externalities and deliver probable institutional devices to reduce negative externalities (Feiock and Coutts, 2013 ,2).

Wang, Hawkins, Lebredo and Berman (2012) suggest that management of sustainability efforts dependent on the local background can highlight the interrelationships amongst greater number of variables. For instance, water quality  care in an environmental department, infrastructure facility in a public works department, and land development schemes sponsored by an economic development office all rightly influence sustainability.

Further, a sustainable local economy increases human welfare and social equity, reduces environmental risks and shortage of natural resource ensures resource efficiency, low-carbon emission and socially responsible behavior (ICLEI 2015). It gives priority to an economy that generates jobs in green-growth businesses, encourages investment in clean technologies, innovative entrepreneurship and skills which are required to build sustainable cities (ICLEI 2015). Again, by undertaking inventive and sustainable procurement, local and regional governments guarantee that tax revenues are consumed correctly and that public purchasing power gets highest environmental and social benefits locally (ICLEI 2015).

Local governments are observed to have a strong interest in SD for different reasons. Growth can be powerfully tied to economic well-being of LGs and development improves the provision of satisfactory public services, encourages private sector investment, increases job opportunities, and ‘diversifies the local employment base’ (Hawkins and Wang 2013).

Local governance can   ‘link actors in networks’ and make institutions, or rules, for how local policy is framed and regulated, develop devices to lessen ‘collective action dilemmas’ among local governments (Feiock and Coutts, 2013,4).Wang, Hawkins, Lebredo and Berman (2012) suggest that management of sustainability efforts dependent on the local background can highlight the interrelationships amongst greater number of variables. For instance, water quality care in an environmental department, infrastructure facility in a public works department, and land development schemes sponsored by an economic development office all rightly can influence sustainability.