Rural decentralization and local governance

Decentralization refers to the transfer of decision-making from the central level to a sub-national authority. The aim is to transfer power and resources to a level that is closer, better understood and more easily influenced by local people. This should result in gains in efficiency and appropriateness of service delivery, as well as better governance and greater accountability. By creating the conditions for more inclusive and transparent operations, decentralization enhances citizen participation in local governance, allowing communities to take responsibility for their own development.

Approach and expertise

Decentralization is a complex process that is accompanied by legal and institutional reforms that change governance relations at all levels and determine the effectiveness of pro-poor policies. These reforms provide opportunities for establishing new forms of collaboration and accountability between government structures and existing authorities (including customary), community-based organizations and the private sector. They require approaches that facilitate multi-stakeholder processes, learning and institutional innovation.

KIT supports these processes, mainly in rural areas in Africa. We do this by facilitating capacity development and learning, knowledge generation and translation, advisory services and by strengthening links with policy-making processes. We have thematic expertise in the fields of local economic development, basic service delivery (health, water, education), natural resource management, land governance, and participatory planning, monitoring and evaluation. We aim for the inclusion of marginalized groups in local governance to enhance equity of development outcomes.

Products and services

We work with central and local government institutions, non-governmental and civil society organizations and knowledge and research institutes. International partners include the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dutch embassies, Danida, GTZ, SDC, FAO, the World Bank, NGOs (ICCO, SNV, Cordaid). Specific services include:

Policy advice and programme development at the request of national ministries, embassies and multilateral institutions in the fields of decentralization,   governance, alignment and accountability, particularly with respect to macro-micro challenges in sector-wide approaches.

Collaborative write-workshops to monitor, analyse and document good practice on the ground. The resulting publications (evidence-based papers, books, policy briefs) are used to inform practitioners and policymakers and promote debate through seminars.

Learning trajectories through participatory action-research and workshop series to strengthen knowledge and capacities of a range of actors and to develop, test and evaluate tools and approaches that are used to facilitate local governance.

Tailor-made training and short courses in The Netherlands and abroad to develop capacities of organizations which support decentralization and local governance processes. These include civil society, NGOs, local government associations, local capacity builders, representatives of central and local government, ministries and agencies. KIT further provides courses on health and governance. More on training. 

Facilitate international networking to strengthen a knowledge base and community of practice by promoting sharing of experience and information, developing joint products and building alliances between professionals.

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Tags

decentralization | governance |

Royal Tropical Institute