Local Institutional Capacity Research Articles

A Comparative Study on Local Governments’ Institutional Capacity of Service Delivery in Bhojpur

This study is a comparison of Local Governments' Institutional Capacity Self-Assessment (LISA) scores on service delivery of local governments in Bhojpur district during four fiscal years. The principal objective is to compare and analyze the LISA scores and find out the status on service delivery area of local governments in Bhojpur district. It has focused on comparative analysis of the status of local governments using their self-assessment scores to find out the progress in service delivery of local government institutions. The methodology used in this study is collecting secondary data of self-assessment reports from the website, and compare and analyze the data of all local governments over the four fiscal years. This study has followed descriptive and analytical approach as well as used document review, and website observation as research tools. Data collection has been done from secondary sources of data. The finding of this study reveals that the service delivery status of local governments has been gradually increased in LISA scores over the period. The emphasis on service delivery during the self-assessment has been given most and provided largest weightage and most indicators included. The Bhojpur municipality, where headquarter of the district located has been evaluated less scores than another municipality and the far remote rural municipalities, such as Salpa Silichho and Amchowk rural municipalities.

Five years of local democracy in federal Nepal (2017–2022)

AbstractNepalʼs 2015 federal constitution empowers local governments with significant autonomy, power, and resources for local policymaking, developmental programs, and public services. This research examines this new landscape of local governance as experienced during the first electoral tenure from 2017 to 2022, exploring the quality of local democracy in Nepal. Designed as interpretive research and analysed through a set of participatory democracy frameworks, the findings uncover mixed progress in the capacity of local democratic institutions to utilise constitutionally guaranteed power and resources. The findings of this study offer fresh academic and professional insights on Nepalʼs local democracy, participatory governance, and federalism.

Limitations of coordinative Europeanisation in the Just Transition Mechanism in Romania

The EU currently promotes a radical transition towards a green, digital and more inclusive economy, which for its realization relies on the European Investor State’s financial architecture. As the transition generates losers, not only winners, instruments like the Just Transition Mechanism (JTM) are designed to provide a compensatory function. However, our research shows that it might miss its mark of ‘leaving no one behind’. JTM is a fascinating extension of European Investor State as it seeks to service the losers through investments rather than compensations. Firstly, JTM mirrors the vision of the InvestEU program and doubles down on industrial transformation and strategic investments that rely substantially on private sector involvement. Secondly, as a process, the JTM requires local stakeholder coordination and national institutional capacity – both of which can pose additional challenges to newer member states without enhancing local capabilities. Thirdly, based on the process design, much like other EU programs, JTM has a level of complexity that leaves beneficiaries highly reliant on technical assistance. As such, investment gaps in the newer member states might be extended, and not compressed by the current compensatory financial tools of the EU. Using an in-depth case study method, we develop a multi-dimensional evaluation of the Just Transition process in the most affected region of the Jiu Valley in Romania. Through an original local stakeholder mapping, we find that while the local and national authorities have the highest influence in determining the Just Transition process in Romania, they are also very much distrusted by other local actors. Our findings reveal that it is not just the often-cited weakness in institutional capacity, but also that of poor stakeholder consensus that impede the strategic planning and implementation of new EU investment tools at the level of targeted beneficiaries.

Institutional capacity assessment in the lens of implementation research: Capacity of the local institutions in delivering WASH services at Cox's Bazar district, Bangladesh.

The influx of Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMNs) has left the Southwest coastal district of Cox's Bazar with one of the greatest contemporary humanitarian crises, stressing the existing water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) resources and services. This study aimed to assess the existing capacity of local institutions involved in delivering WASH services and identify relevant recommendations for intervention strategies. We used a qualitative approach, including interviews and capacity assessment workshops with institutions engaged in WASH service delivery. We conducted five key informant interviews (KII) with sub-district level officials of the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE), Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Directorate of Primary Education (DPE) and Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) to have a general idea of WASH service mechanisms. Seven capacity assessment workshops were organized with the relevant district and sub-district level stakeholders from August 2019 to September 2019. These workshops followed three key areas: i) knowledge of policy, organizational strategy, guidelines, and framework; ii) institutional arrangements for service delivery such as planning, implementation, coordination, monitoring, and reporting; and iii) availability and management of human, financial and infrastructural resources. Data were categorized using thematic content analysis. The majority of stakeholders lacked awareness of national WASH policies. Furthermore, the top-down planning approaches resulted in activities that were not context-specific, and lack of coordination between multiple institutions compromised the optimal WASH service delivery at the local level. Shortage of human resources in delivering sustainable WASH services, inadequate supervision, and inadequate evaluation of activities also required further improvement, as identified by WASH stakeholders. Research evidence suggests that decision-makers, donors, and development partners should consider learning from the WASH implementers and stakeholders about their existing capacity, gaps, and opportunities before planning for any WASH intervention in any particular area.

Correlations between Local Institutional Capacity and Community Conservation Partnerships in Lore Lindu National Park

The Community Conservation Partnership (CCP) is a policy option for ensuring the sustainability of conservation functions while improving the local community's economy. The critical issue in implementing this policy is local institutional capacity. This study aimed to describe the correlation between local institutional capacity and the performance of community conservation partnerships in LLNP. This study was carried out in 10 villages that had established conservation partnership agreements with LLNP managers. This research adopted a quantitative descriptive method. This study revealed that CCP performance was significantly dependent on local institutional capacity. The CCP programme improved the function of conservation areas, but did not boost the local economy significantly. Trust and financial capacity are the essential organisational and management capacities that strongly correlate with CCP performance. The performance of CCP was more strongly correlated with the organisational and management capacity of the local institution than with individual capacity. The individual capacity of the local institution that strongly correlated with CCP performance was only the technical capacity in forestry. Therefore, strengthening capacity at organizational and management levels, such as building trust, communications, and funding support for local institutions, is crucial for improving and sustaining conservation partnerships.

Many mountain paths: Perceiving change in the management of community forests in the Hindu Kush Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India

India's high mountain, van panchayat forests are a long-standing example of community-led forest governance. These provide vital support for mountain communities’ wellbeing, yet little is known about how environmental and social change is currently perceived or addressed, despite many claims that characterize van panchayats to be in crisis due to policy interventions by state forest actors and erosion of local management institutions. This research investigates how changes in forest dependence, governance, and health drive forest management decisions. Using open-ended interviews with 41 forest stewards and knowledge holders in a high mountain valley in Uttarakhand, our analysis describes managers’ perceptions of environmental and social changes and their implications for management choices. We found that van panchayats are currently navigating stewardship pathways in response to: (a) population shifts and changes to historically forest-dependent livelihoods; (b) a shift in governance regimes across van panchayats, affected by both regulatory changes and local institutional capacity; (c) the effects of global environmental change as it intersects with local influences on mountain ecosystems. Forest stewards’ perceptions of the drivers, trends, significance, and appropriate management responses to these changes varied widely. An overall decline in rightsholders’ dependence on forest resources was commonly reported, as was improved forest health in van panchayats in relation to other forest types. However, van panchayat managers disagreed on whether declining dependence positively or negatively affects forest health, whether the state is absent or actively wresting control from communities, and if successful forest restoration efforts will continue. A lack of shared understanding of these issues complicates forest stewards’ efforts to cooperate towards mutually desired ends, exacerbated by a co-management policy which isolates forest councils’ efforts from neighbouring forests. Accordingly, we encourage policy changes to enhance collaborative decision-making and to address implications of diverse perceptions, priorities and practices of care in mountain forests.

Mining-energy boom and local institutional capacities - the case of Colombia

Despite the burgeoning discussion about how the mining-energy sector affects local communities, the roles of local institutions remain understudied as one of the key factors to understand the impact of mining booms on local development. Literature has recently emerged analyzing the role institutions play and finds that natural resource booms can be a curse or a blessing. This article seeks to answer the research question: Do oil and coal-producing municipalities have better institutional capacities? Our research analyzes the incidence that two extractive industries – oil and coal – have on local institutional capacities in Colombia. We use two methodological approaches to study this relationship at a municipality level over the period 2011–2019: a panel data model and a cross sectional exploratory-confirmatory spatial data analysis. The panel estimation results show that municipalities with oil and coal activity have a higher fiscal performance index suggesting that producer municipalities have stronger institutional capacities than non-producer municipalities. However, due to the local development dynamics in each sector's territories, the capacities of coal and oil producing municipalities differ. The spatial analysis reveals spillover effects in the production of oil. Public policy recommendations are made based on the findings.

Presentation of the Institutional Role Model in Developing Local Entrepreneurship Based on Outsourcing of Large Regional Companies Active in the Oil and Gas IndustryPresentation of the Institutional Role Model in Developing Local Entrepreneurship Based on Outsourcing of Large Regional Companies Active in the Oil and Gas Industry

Objective: The aim of this study is to present a model of the institutional role in developing local entrepreneurship based on outsourcing large regional companies active in the oil and gas industry. Methodology: In the qualitative section of this research, theoretical sampling was used, and the opinions of 20 experts from Gachsaran Oil and Gas Company as well as academic experts were utilized. Additionally, in the quantitative section of the research, and based on the power analysis method, the opinions of 452 related experts were collected. The tools and methods for data analysis in the qualitative and quantitative sections were, respectively, interviews - grounded theory and questionnaires - structural equation modeling (PLS). Findings: The findings indicate that the paradigm model of the research includes internal causal factors and external factors; contextual conditions, including the government and national institutions, institutional entrepreneurship; intervening conditions, such as legal uncertainty, poor and unhealthy competitive performance, transparency in all outsourcing pillars; strategies, including reforms aligned with existing conditions and potential, local institutional capacity building, creating an environment for promoting productive local entrepreneurship, and creating local participation platforms for entrepreneurial development. Moreover, the consequences of the institutional role in developing local entrepreneurship through outsourcing large regional companies include the successful promotion of development-oriented policies, support for local activities, productive and sustainable employment, and sustainable and inclusive economic growth in the region. Conclusion: This research assists companies and institutions related to the oil and gas industries in gaining a deeper understanding of the institutional role in developing local entrepreneurship and in designing and implementing optimal strategies and approaches to enhance local entrepreneurship.

Implication of Local Government Institutional Capacity Self-Assessment System at Municipal Governance

Local governments have a key role to play in ensuring that public services are provided close to the people under the federal governance system. Therefore, the success of federalism depends on effectiveness of public service delivery function. The constitution has provisioned legislative, executive, and judicial powers to local levels, Province and federation based on the principles of cooperation, coexistence, and coordination. In this context, local government institutional self-assessment (LISA) framework has been used by local government in Nepal after implementation of federal democratic republican constitution 2015.main objectives is to effectiveness of improve the quality. Acts and regulations related to these methods. The Practice of LISA by improving the Its the web-based LISA system has been introduced as an innovative instrument to track the performance of local governments in Nepal after the governance system was restructured from unitary to federal with significant power and resources to local level. The process of LISA creating capacity begins with a capacity evaluation. It presents a precise picture of the organization's strengths and weaknesses. The output of this approach unambiguously calls for the capacity-building initiatives needed and helps foster ownership to boost self-esteem. More specifically, LISA's primary goal is to investigate current practices in 10 local governance-related areas.

Social protection, community participation and state‐citizen relations: Evidence from a cash transfer program in south‐central Somalia

AbstractWe investigate whether social protection programs can increase participation in community‐driven development programs and examine how this affects state‐citizen relations. Using a randomized controlled trial in south‐central Somalia, we study the impacts of one‐time unconditional cash transfers to vulnerable households that were specifically designed to encourage participation in community development. While the cash transfer is relatively small as a share of annual household expenditure, it is more than sufficient to cover households' anticipated community development contributions. The transfers were funded by an NGO but delivered through state institutions. We collect survey data before and after the intervention with almost 600 individuals eligible to receive cash transfers. We find no substantial differences in participation in community development projects for cash transfer recipient households relative to non‐recipient households. However, we do find positive impacts of the cash transfers on citizen perceptions of clan elders and the local government. Our findings suggest that relatively small social protection interventions may face challenges in increasing vulnerable households' participation in community development and decision‐making, while also highlighting potential positive spillover effects for state‐citizen relations and beliefs about the capacity of local institutions where states institutions are involved in program delivery, even if they do not finance the program.

EMPOWERMENT OF LOCAL INSTITUTIONS FOR TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN KASEPUHAN SINARRESMI

The local institutional conditions of Sirnaresmi Village which have not been managed optimally in developing cultural tourism based on local wisdom as an alternative for other incomes for the community have not been carried out properly due to the resource capacity that has not been optimally managed for the welfare of indigenous peoples. Therefore, empowerment, training and mentoring programs are needed with the aim of increasing local institutional capacity and developing local wisdom-based tourism by providing counseling, training, and mentoring methods. Based on the results of the pre-test and post-test implementation of local institutional empowerment to develop tourism, there was a significant increase both quantitatively and qualitatively. As for the comparison between before and after the training, there was an increase of 30%.

Threats from weather events, urbanization and resilience: A case study of a coastal geography in India

ABSTRACT Urbanized coastal geographies with high population density but with low adaptive capacity are more exposed to threats of both rapid and slow onset weather events. Altered coasts along the Bay of Bengal is one such geography where general urbanization trend coupled with new policy driven tourism activity promotion is increasing exposure to frequent and intense disaster events. Current study takes a deeper dive into a 17 km long coastal stretch along Digha-Shankarpur-Mandarmoni in the Bay of Bengal in India. Community consultation using questionnaire-based survey is the primary source of evidence for this study. Community’s perception about threats from changing weather events and risks perceived by the coastal community engaged in various livelihood categories have been used to assess their resilience status, awareness of various local adaptive interventions and measures undertaken for local resilience building. With already predominant traditional agricultural and fisheries practices, promotion of tourism is altering the natural ecosystem faster through hard infrastructure expansion. The prevalent threats from weather events in the region lead to the loss of ecosystem services with adverse impacts on the communities whose livelihood are closely linked to the ecosystem service flows. In this context, how to build the resilience is the major research question. Nine impact indicators are used to assess risk using qualitative and quantitative methods. The analysis shows that individual and the community scale resilience increases with livelihood diversification, inclusive community engagement, polycentric governance structure, maintenance of diversity in ecosystem service flows, access to science based information on threats and opportunities, inclusion of local knowledge available with the communities in various livelihood categories for designing appropriate social protection measures. The study comes up with policy recommendations. It is important to avoid lack of long-term vision in the policies, enhance local institutional capacity through sector specific associations to deal with multiple threats quickly, overcome lack of awareness about preventive and soft adaptation measures, restoration actions, increase interaction and involvement of local stakeholders for local knowledge. Additionally, it is an urgent need to involve multiple even if sometimes conflicting scientific views on solutions vis-à-vis community wisdom for strengthening resilience.

The Role of Property Assessment Oversight in School Finance Inequality

This paper explores an under-studied channel for school finance inequality: property assessment. School districts have historically relied on local tax revenues (typically property taxes) to fund schools, which can generate disparities in funding across districts. Many states passed school finance reforms that give more state funding to poorer districts. These formulas typically discourage school districts from offsetting state funding by reducing local tax rates (“crowd out”). However, many reforms have not adequately addressed another source of inequality: property assessment accuracy and equity. Moreover, state reform can unintentionally subsidize property underassessment. We analyze a state government intervention to address property assessment inequities within and across school districts. We use difference-in-differences and county- and school district-level administrative data to find the intervention boosted assessments by 32 percent. Assessment equity improved substantially and local property revenues temporarily increased by 17 percent. Local fiscal and institutional capacity played a role in assessment inequity pre-reform. Our results suggest that underassessment can compound funding inequality across districts in states that rely on property wealth to fund schools. Therefore, effective state oversight in property assessments is needed to ensure the integrity of funding systems that distribute state funding to districts on the basis of their assessed property wealth.

Local Economic Institutional Capacity Development (Comparative Study in Value Perspective)

The performance of local economic institutions in a country is very strategic to improve the welfare of citizens. Therefore, research on strategies for developing local economic institutions to improve their performance is very significant. This study aims to compare several strategies for developing economic institutions in several countries. More specifically, this study compares the value systems that support local economic institutional performance. The effectiveness of local economic institutional capacity development is not only determined by the professionalism of managers, determination of the type of business, community involvement, and innovative management systems but is also influenced by the integration of the local economic institutional development program with development planning, visionary local leadership, and a supportive value system. Therefore, the makers and implementers of the local economic institutional capacity development program not only pay attention to the professionalism of managers, determining the type of business, community involvement, and innovative management systems but are also required to integrate the local economic institutional capacity development program with development planning, requiring visionary local leadership, adequate management default, and have a value system that supports performance.

Actor-network analysis of community-based organisations in health pandemics: evidence from the COVID-19 response in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Freetown, Sierra Leone, is confronted with health risks that are compounded by rapid unplanned urbanisation and weak capacities of local government institutions. Addressing them implies a shared responsibility between government and non‐state actors. In low‐income areas, the role of community‐based organisations (CBOs) in combating health disasters is well‐recognised. Yet, empirical evidence on how they have utilised their networks and coordinated community‐level strategies in responding to the COVID‐19 pandemic is scant. This paper, based on a qualitative study in two informal settlements in Freetown, employs actor‐network theory to understand how CBOs problematise COVID‐19 as a health risk, interact with other entities, and the subsequent tensions that arise. The findings show that community vulnerabilities and past experiences of health disasters informed CBOs' perception of COVID‐19 as a communal emergency. In response, they coordinated sensitisation and mobilisation programmes by relying on a network of actors to support COVID‐19 risk reduction strategies. Nonetheless, misunderstandings among them caused friction.

INVESTIGATING INSTITUTIONAL LIMITS TO CLIMATE ADAPTATION: A CASE STUDY OF LANDSLIDE IN THE MOUNTAINS OF NEPAL

A growing body of research analyses institutional dimensions of adaptation and disaster risk management at the local level, highlighting the positive role of local institutions. However, the question of when institutions could also limit adaptation is much less explored. Drawing on the case of a landslide in the Nepal Himalayas, this paper advances the concept of ‘institutional limit’, for examining the extent to which local institutions can deliver adaptation outcomes. We show how existing public and community institutions have limited households’ capacity to respond to the risk of landslides. The case study demonstrates at least four limits of local institutions: a) inertia created by the social norms and structure embedded in the existing institutions; b) redundancy wherein conventional formal and informal institutions are less relevant to tackle the new challenges posed by climate change; c) fragmentation of institutional efforts involving poor horizontal and vertical coordination among organisations; and d) accountability lapses rooted in the wider political system. We show that most of the local institutions identified in the literature as important sources of resilience have failed to tackle landslides in the highly stratified and politically volatile situation of the Nepal Himalayas where the case study is located. We argue that the notion of ‘institutional limit’ can enhance our understanding of what institutions can (or cannot) deliver for effective local adaptation. These findings have major implications for the optimism placed on the role and capacity of local institutions to adapt to climate change or manage disaster risks.

The challenges of collective PES: Insights from three community-based models in Vietnam

Vietnam has adopted a national Payment for Forest Environmental Services (PES) policy, which while primarily paying individual households for forest protection, has been flexible enough to allow for collective PES models to also arise. Such collective models have the potential to reduce transaction costs, avoid motivation crowding, and protect common-pool resources like community forests. This paper analyzes three different types of collective PES models that have been tried in Vietnam: community land titles and PES payments to whole villages; group titles and PES payments to collections of households; and collective patrolling with payment contracts but without land tenure rights. We draw on fieldwork across three provinces to examine how these different forms of collective PES have arisen, and how they have articulated with existing forest governance institutions and local social characteristics. We also assess what the advantages and disadvantages for each model are. Overall, we argue that none of Vietnam's collective PES models have achieved unqualified success in generating positive collective action outcomes, and each has challenges that have undermined group efforts, exacerbated underlying problems, or even created new conflicts. Based on our assessment, achieving a mix of individual (primarily financial) benefits together with collective rights and benefits is important for both social cohesion and forest protection. As a result, improving existing local institutional capacities and reinforcing group cohesion to achieve collective action success remain needed within Vietnam’s collective PES models.

Lesson Learned From The 2019 Peatland Fire In Tumbang Nusa Area, Indonesia

Regionally, the Tumbang Nusa area consists of Tumbang Nusa village and Tanjung Taruna which also include a special research forest area under the management of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. The area is a peatland with a peat soil depth between 2-8 meters so that is representative of the impacts of peat fire events on areas of moderate until deep peat depth. Experience from fire events at the mentions area in 2019 can be used to guide improvements in fire prevention strategies and management plans for preventing future surface and peat fires. Our research has shown that reducing the probability of a fire occurring requires an understanding of the socio-economic factors, such as human activities which ignite fires. This should be coupled with an understanding of the supporting biophysical and social factors including peatland characteristics, involvement of fire brigades, police and army, management of fuel, local fire danger rating, fire equipment, institutional capacity, suppression response, and post-fire action. All of these learning elements can improve prevention techniques at the village level.

Collaboration between Chiefs and Local Government Actors in Combating Climate Change: Evidence from New Juaben, Ghana

Institutional barriers remain a constraint to efficient adaptation to climate change in many countries. Therefore, there is much to be desired regarding knowledge on the capacity and roles of local institutions in responding to climate change across sectors and locales. Drawing evidence from randomly selected chiefs and local government actors, and purposively selected officials of the Municipal Assembly, we examined how partnership between local government actors and informal institutions such as chieftaincy could enhance coordinated and integrated climate action and adaptation planning in local communities. All interviews were transcribed and analysed in themes generated from deductive codes. Participants demonstrated varied levels of knowledge on the causes and impacts of climate change. We observed the implementation of several unstructured climate change activities in local communities as actors of the two institutions individually and collaboratively implemented some adaptation and mitigation actions. We therefore conclude that when given the right attention, by addressing the problems which include financial allocation, low capacity of personnel, and the lack of coordination between units that confront the local institutions, informal institutions and local government actors, could spearhead lasting climate change adaptation and mitigation programmes, and produce equity and sustainability at the national level.

Pathways to Improving Nutrition among Upland Farmers through Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture Interventions: A Case from Northern Laos

While there is an increased awareness of the role of nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA) interventions on nutrition, the studies that investigate holistic pathways from interventions to nutrition outcomes are inadequate. We aimed to understand these pathways to improved nutrition from the Enhancing Nutrition of Upland Farming Families (ENUFF) Project implemented in northern Laos. We applied an embedded case study design by recruiting 101 participants representing implementers, school and private sector representatives, and beneficiaries, of which 34 participated in interviews and 68 participated in 11 FGDs. This was supplemented by a desk review of project documents. We analyzed the data using a directed content analysis across five pathways using a published framework on impact pathways from NSA interventions to nutrition outcomes. The project contributed to nutrition mainly through three core pathways-food production, nutrition and WASH-related knowledge, and agricultural income, supported by strengthening local institutions within the project’s scope. While it is evident that the project contributed to empowering women by saving their time and increasing income, further study is needed to investigate the translation of these aspects to nutrition-related practices. We also suggest the need to sustain the capacity of local institutions and their engagement beyond the project cycle. To enhance the effectiveness of NSA interventions on nutrition, there is a need to design and implement intervention package with multiple pathways and tailored strategies based on nutrition outcomes, the envisaged pathways, geographical context, and factors affecting these.