Co-Governance by Local Government and Civil Society Groups: Balancing Equity and Efficiency for Trust in Public Institutions

Abstract

This chapter highlights the manner in which local governments have developed a range of participatory partnership models to work with voluntary organizations and community groups in trust-based partnerships of institutional building. In exploring the experience of Japan, I show how local governments have made considerable progress toward the reconciliation of equity principles with economic efficiency, and how strong leadership, innovation in policy, and inclusion of civil society groups enhance the level of local government’s performance by fostering a sense of participation in community decision making, by encouraging cooperation rather than mistrust, and by contributing to the stock of social capital within a relatively short time frame. It is also been proven that effective mayoral leadership can play a critical role in creating networks between local authorities and community groups resulting in a high growth of social capital within a relatively short time frame.