Local-level Development Research Articles

An essay on mining and the moral obligation not to harm others

The terms ‘harm’ and ‘harm avoidance’ are increasingly being utilised in the global mining industry, particularly in relation to occupational health and safety. However, avoidance of harm has not been given the same priority when it comes to dealing with the social impacts of mining. Rather, industry discourse has focused more on ‘mitigating adverse impacts’ (which is a broader concept than ‘harm avoidance’) and leveraging positive outcomes or ‘shared value’ for local communities. Companies should be expected to contribute to local level development, but we argue that avoidance of harm to people must always be the foremost social goal. In this article, we offer a working definition of harm, and make the case for viewing harm avoidance as a moral obligation. We also challenge the proposition that, in the case of mining, it may sometimes be acceptable to expose some communities and groups to harm to derive a broader societal benefit. The evidence that people can be harmed by mining is indisputable. We argue that a priority for the global mining industry should be to ensure that practices that cause harm are no longer tolerated or considered an unavoidable cost of development.

Nexus between Solidarity Economy, Cooperative and Digital Economy at the Local Level: The case of Malaysia

This study used Malaysian case as the empirical platform to articulate the issues of development at the local level mainly Desa Lestari (Sustainable Village) program of KPLB. The data were obtained mainly through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with government officials and communities. This paper highlights conceptually and practically how the Solidarity Economy, the Cooperative and Digitalization can be incorporated into a broader sustainability framework. This paper also demonstrates the potential and constraints in Desa Lestari program. This paper ends with an examination of possible plan of action for successful Desa Lestari program and local level development in general.

Towards Sustainable Local Development: Comparative Analysis of Periodic Plans in Nepalese Municipalities

The Local Government Operation Act of 2017 mandates that rural municipalities and municipalities in Nepal develop periodic, annual, and strategic medium- and long-term plans for local-level development. Guided by directives from the National Planning Commission, these plans outline visions, goals, and strategies across social, economic, and physical domains, crucial for sustainable development amidst political stability. These plans integrate governance, environmental considerations, and social inclusion by emphasizing alignment with sustainable development goals and national policies. As primary governance agents, local governments are tasked with formulating these plans to enhance prosperity and socio-economic development within constitutional frameworks. This study examines the objectives, formulation processes, and comparative analysis of periodic plans across Jiri Municipality, Mahankal Rural Municipality, Gauri Shankar Rural Municipality, and Mahalaxmi Municipality in Nepal. It compares their long-term visions, SWOT analyses, sector-wise budgetary allocations, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The findings highlight distinct priorities and challenges each municipality faces, offering insights into tailored strategies for balanced and sustainable development.

НАУКОВІ ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ У СФЕРІ ІНФОРМАЦІЙНОЇ ЕКОНОМІКИ В УМОВАХ ВІЙНИ

Scientific research in wartime plays an important role in restoring the current state of Ukraine's economy, as it allows to identify economic problems and market dynamics, assess social and cultural factors of renovation of production and consumption processes, distribution and exchange of resources, as well as to influence the acceleration of investment and other management decisions. Such studies can not only reflect the impact of destructive factors on the economic situation in these difficult conditions, but can also be used to study social interaction between business entities, analysis of trends in economic sectors, and contribute to the formation of strategies for business recovery at the local level and sustainable development of Ukrainian society as a whole. In such a circumstance, the issues of theoretical and scientific-methodological approaches to sociological research as part of scientific research in the information economy are becoming increasingly important. This study identifies the main trends in the use of modern digital tools for conducting sociological research, to be used for analyzing the state of economic entities that suffer the most and require urgent economic decisions, as well as for forming a portfolio of economic recovery projects at the micro, meso and macro levels. The authors note a special place for digital tools in sociological research, that help for systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of data for the purpose of understanding social phenomena and processes. The most important are digital collection of data, use of the Internet as a multidisciplinary tool for socio-economic studies: the standard of living of the population; lifestyles of certain social groups; social assessment of the consequences of economic reforms; quality of social services; subjects of economic (entrepreneurial) activity. The peculiarity of sociological research is that the analysis, generalizations and conclusions are based on actual material obtained by the researcher himself. Such information can be useful to the government and international organizations in developing strategies for economic recovery and support after the war.

Retrofitting urban areas with wood: the origin of new projects in an emerging business ecosystem

Nurturing a low-carbon residential building stock requires businesses to create new solutions for markets. Wood material-based retrofits would be one solution but have remained rare in the urban context. Our study explores the structure and dynamics of an emerging business ecosystem (BE) of wooden retrofits in Finland. We study wooden retrofit projects, from the perspective of the initial steps of local-level development. By applying the concepts of BE and dynamic capabilities, we aim to shed light on the role of actors and their early-stage decision-making and use actor mapping and qualitative analysis of 27 thematic interviews with retrofit businesses and municipal actors. Results show that project initiation has relied on individual champions seizing opportunities as a main base in building dynamic capabilities. Builders and customers are key actors of wooden retrofit projects in local BEs in Finland. The identified actors are further involved with future plans for wooden retrofits, some with ambitious deep renovation with wood. Motivations for projects are driven from urban densification strategies, improvement of suburban neighborhood attractiveness and from the efficiency of space utilization. Results further elaborate a certain degree of difficulty in the early-stage decision-making. This study contributes to the scientific knowledge of both the BE and the dynamic capability perspective by exploring a path to material-driven sustainable construction in the Finnish context. We provide new information on this emerging retrofit construction business with potentially significant international implications if scaled up more widely.

Insights into Significant Contribution by Local Government toward Community Development in the Bahawalpur Division

This research investigates the role of local government institutions in promoting community development in Bahawalpur division from 2001 to 2018. The provision of municipal amenities is crucial for community growth, and local governments are expected to play a significant role in enhancing social, political, and cultural development. However, financial constraints, lack of education, community participation, and infrastructural development hinder their effective functioning. The study used statistical sampling techniques and analyzed the data using regression, and correlation analysis. The results show a positive trend in the contribution of local government towards community development, with a significant positive relation between the local government budget, community participation, education level, and infrastructure development. The study suggests that local governments should prioritize allocating sufficient budgets for community development programs and encourage community engagement in decision-making processes. Overall, the study highlights the significance of local government institutions in promoting community development in Bahawalpur division.

Towards crude transformation: Scaling development in Uganda's Albertine graben

This paper explores the patterns of oil-driven transformation in Uganda's Lake Albert Basin. Drawing on empirical and secondary data, the paper critiques the ongoing drive towards crude transformation which in part, has morphed into controversial local level development agenda amongst communities in the oil-rich Albertine Graben. From the theoretical optics of scale, the paper highlights the contradictions in the attempt by the Ugandan state and multinational corporations to engender subaltern socioeconomic transformation through oil-inspired projects. Whereas the attempts at transformation are motivated by the so-called international standards of corporate operations, the framing by which the local has been (re)produced is a likely jeopardy rather than support towards an oil-driven change for better in two salient ways: first, that the local represents a problematic category in a development arena, which, in this context, has aided different forms of institutional dispossession and marginalisation of the communities hosting different oil projects and activities. Secondly, this misrepresentation of the local is a commonplace mischief of scale politics in development planning and practice. The paper advances an argument that such mischiefs of scale politics could be altered by viewing the local as important, active and potentially productive part of the multi-scalar teleconnections of positive transformation, such as that offered by Uganda's surging oil industry.

Administrative capacity and local level development in metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies in Ghana: mediating role of resource capacity

PurposeThis study aims to examine the mediating role of resource capacity on the effect of administrative capacity on local level development.Design/methodology/approachData is obtained from three Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the Central Region of Ghana using a survey. A structural equation modelling that includes a formatively measured construct (administrative capacity) is used in the analyses.FindingsLeadership, human resource management, financial resource management, technical and adaptive capacities are supported as formative constructs of administrative capacity. More so, it is established that administrative capacity has an effect on resource capacity. Also, administrative capacity and resource capacity each has an effect on local level development. The mediation analysis shows that resource capacity mediates the effect administrative capacity has on local level development.Practical implicationsAdministrative capacity is a necessity for local governments as enhancing it together with the resource capacity of MMDAs are vital if local level development is to be achieved. In this regard, administrative and resource capacities of local governments must be pursued by both the central government and decentralised governments for the latter to achieve its primary mandate.Originality/valueTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to empirically ascertain leadership, human resource management, financial resource management, technical and adaptive capacities as the dimensions of administrative capacity using a structural equation model. Given that there is a lack of consensus on the dimensions of administrative capacity, this study contributes significantly to the discourse. The study also highlights the need to pursue and enhance administrative and resource capacities for local level development.

THE CONTRIBUTION OF COMPOSITE BUDGETING TO SUSTAINABLE FISCAL AUTONOMY IN THE NANUMBA SOUTH DISTRICT IN THE NORTHERN REGION OF GHANA

Purpose –– The paper looks at the contribution of composite budgeting to sustainable fiscal autonomy in the Nanumba South District. Methods –– A concurrent mixed-method approach was used, with purposive sampling for qualitative data and trend analysis of the district’s revenue and expenditure performance for quantitative data. Findings –– The paper revealed that external sources of funding stood above 97% of its annual total revenue; the revenue autonomy ratio of the district falls below 3%. The pooling of available funds together is limited by the incomplete decentralization of tier two departments. Conclusion & Recommendation –– The paper concluded that complete decentralization of all departments will enhance the principle of pooling funds together, prevent fragmentation of revenue sources, and lead to efficient mobilization of more IGF to facilitate sustainable fiscal autonomy. It recommends significant innovation in the mobilization of existing and new revenue points: including intense education and effective enforcement of tax regulations by the management of the district. Keywords –– Fiscal autonomy, composite budgeting, revenue mobilization, local-level development, accountability.

A Geoportal Supporting Spatial Planning in Poland: Concept and Pilot Version

Due to the complexity of planning processes, as well as the desire to satisfy stakeholders and entities involved in spatial development and planning procedures, there is a clear need to create a platform for managing spatial development planning information. The aim of this paper is to present a project and pilot version of an urban platform (spatial planning geoportal), which is intended to be a solution used for the creation, analysis, and presentation of spatial data related to spatial planning. To implement the concept of the geoportal, one of the models used in systems and software engineering known as incremental execution was used, together with the language for documenting phases of an IT project – the Unified Modeling Language (UML). The concept includes a formal description of the geoportal functionalities using UML as well as the perspective of solution users and stakeholders. This paper also shows the functionality of the pilot version of the geoportal, which refers to spatial planning at the local level and local spatial development. The spatial planning geoportal presented in this paper adheres to the reform of spatial planning and is intended to help in conducting spatial policy, both at the local and central level. Establishment of the spatial planning geoportal may contribute to increasing the efficiency and quality of the spatial planning system in Poland, as well as other areas such as management of local government units, local and regional transport, and regional planning.

Understanding the struggles of Bangladeshi women in coping with climate change through a gender analysis

Climate-induced disasters affect a wide range of communities in Bangladesh. Among them, women are the most affected groups. Climate change increases their socioeconomic vulnerabilities by directly impacting their families’ food security, water consumption, health, and overall livelihood. Unlike in many patriarchal societies, Bangladeshi women often face challenges of unequal social relations and hierarchies, which enforce gender differented vulnerabilities. In this context, this paper intends to reveal what barriers Bangladeshi women face and how they cope with many uncertainties relating to changing contexts, particularly at the household, community, and institutional levels. The paper draws from the author’s Ph.D. research which was carried out in four districts of Bangladesh, focused on four types of climate change impacts and adaptation practices. Qualitative data collection methods were used such as focus group discussions, in-depth Interviews with women, and observations of their household and community-level activities for the study. In addition to that, key informant interviews were conducted with local and national level experts, government officials, and development workers to reveal institutional barriers confronted by women. Findings explore women’s gendered struggles in preparing for and responding to climate change through their lived experiences. Moreover, the study sheds light on the limited gender-responsive environment drawing attention to the need for strategies and actions for gender-transformative approaches to develop climate-resilient households and communities with women at the center.

Development of the level of sorting of municipal waste in the selected locality

Waste management is one of the essential areas that everyone in the world should carry about. Waste collection and treatment help to reduce the risk of the spread of various diseases. Municipal waste is waste produced in households by the population. Municipal waste can be sorted into other components, such as plastic, paper, glass, metals, and biodegradable waste. These types of waste are in most urbanized areas collected separately. The sorting level offers accurate information about each urbanization, to what extent its population is involved in separated waste collection. The paper focuses on analyzing the waste collection system in the selected locality and will examine the local waste sorting level development during the last few years.

Local Revenue Mobilization and Composite Budget Implementation in Ghana: Examining the Challenges

Central governments recognize the key role played by local governments in the developmental agenda of these local areas, especially the effort at generating sufficient revenue locally to fund its own projects and programs. Ensuring effectiveness in decentralization calls for sufficient financial resources to help run the administrative machinery and foster local-level development. The study set out to examine the main challenges affecting local revenue mobilization in Ghana using the experience of three selected districts. To understand these key challenges, this study adopted the case study design to select three administrative assemblies in Ghana. The study found many delays in releasing funds from the central government in terms of releases, poor IGF mobilization affecting operationalization of the district budgets, and ability to carry out socio-economic and infrastructural projects. The study recommends that a PPP arrangement for revenue mobilization should be structured to benefit the Assembly.

FISCAL SPACE FOR EMERGENCIES IN MUNICIPALITIES

Abstract. Emergencies that have become an integral part of the lives of different municipalities and the threat of their negative consequences requires an adequate response from local governments. The article outlines the main causes of such situations and substantiates the need to address them by joining efforts both at the national level and at the level of local self-government. The concept of fiscal space is considered by the authors as the presence of a certain budget reserve to achieve the desired goals without violating financial stability. In the context of emergencies, this is a fiscal space to fund certain goals, which can sometimes be actualized in a very short time (as happened with the situation in health care in 2020). The possibility of targeting the fiscal space in the field of health care, social protection, overcoming the effects of natural disasters, combating poverty, achieving the goals of sustainable development, etc. is noted. The article presents the results of a study of the impact of emergencies (eg, the COVID-19 pandemic) on the ability of local authorities to respond to their consequences. The authors analyzed budget expenditures to combat COVID-19 and assessed changes in the financial capacity of municipalities and funding priorities, including funding for pandemic control at the national and subnational levels, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on municipal finances in terms of compliance with the principles of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, the impact on funding priorities at the local level and municipality development strategies, the ability of local governments to respond to emergencies and highlighted some already tested effective practices. The article examines the methods of forming fiscal space, which were used to overcome the consequences of emergencies: reprioritization of expenditures, improving the efficiency of available resources, revenues to local budgets, which are additionally obtained due to understatement of initial revenue plans, reserve fund. Key words: fiscal space, emergencies, municipal finances, municipalities. JEL Classification r51 Formulas: 0; fig.: 1; tabl.: 1; bibl.: 15.

Determining the Nexus between National Policies and Local Practices in the Promotion of Businesses for Local Economic Development in Tanzania

National governments set policies that affect local level development and influence the pace and content of development initiatives. Local economic development (LED) initiatives require a more robust focus on issues that places local government authorities at centre stage. For decades, at the local government authority level, much effort has been seen in the social development arena shadowing efforts to promote local businesses through business development services. National level organs set to promote businesses and to support the business agenda are expected to be the change catalysts and to propagate supportive policies for sustainable local economic development objectives. Nonetheless, the desired integration of efforts between national and local authorities and the civil society is yet to be observed. Additionally, frequent policy changes affecting the balance of power and authority between the national and local level authorities impact less positively local capacity to promote businesses despite the national efforts in infrastructure development. It is observed that better integration of efforts between the different actors, increased capacity of local authorities and implementation of local initiatives to surmount local challenges while working on policy attributed gaps, are necessary for promoting businesses at the local authority level.

A systematic review of Nepalese farmers’ climate change adaptation strategies

ABSTRACT Given the increasing vulnerabilities and adverse effects of climate change, the development and implementation of adaptation strategies is essential. This is particularly so for Nepal where the agriculture sector – the mainstay of the country’s economy – is highly vulnerable to climate change. As a country that loses much from climate change, local communities here have been adapting to climate change impacts using localized knowledge and practices. However, few studies have systematically reviewed the adaptation strategies of Nepalese farmers. We conduct such a review using the RepOrting Standards for Systematic Evidence Syntheses (ROSES) guidelines. The relevant literature is retrieved using Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases. The adaptation strategies of the Nepalese farmers are broadly categorized under seven themes and twenty-nine sub-themes: (a) access to financial resources and risk transfer; (b) diversification of livelihoods, income sources and agricultural practices; (c) spatial adaptation; (d) climate smart agriculture; (e) common pooling of resources and social action; (f) traditional and local knowledge; and (g) food and water storage and security. Diversification of livelihoods, income sources and agricultural practices are the most common adaptation strategies employed. All the strategies practiced are autonomous, have a short term orientation and reactive in nature rather than being sustainable and proactive. The outputs of this study explore the significance of the local adaptation strategies and to what extent they should be integrated into the mainstream of national and local level development plans. These findings of Nepal – are relevant to neighbouring countries such as Bhutan, Bangladesh and India. Key policy insights This study finds that locally practiced adaptation strategies have a short term and reactive focus rather than being sustainable and proactive solutions. Farmers are confronting weak institutions and financial and managerial difficulties in coping with climate change and adapting to its impacts; hence, local-level adaptation strategies alone cannot cope with the harsh impacts of climate change. The research findings indicate the urgency and need to integrate or mainstream local adaptation strategies into national and local level development planning to strengthen adaptation practice and make it sustainable.

Matches, mismatches and priorities of pathways from a climate-resilient development perspective in the mountains of Nepal

The Hindu Kush Himalayan region is a documented climate change hotspot. The region is also known for its ongoing development challenges including those arising from reconstruction in the aftermath of natural disasters. Incepting the idea of climate-resilience in development planning has, therefore, become a necessity in this poverty-ridden region. To identify the strategies that have been envisaged by the stakeholders in terms of climate-resilient development, this paper singled out the stakeholders who are responsible for local-level development in the mid-hill region of Nuwakot which lies in central Nepal. Data was collected through the visioning and back-casting method and included interviews with community members, NGO experts and regional representatives. The study identified the activities and priorities of stakeholders based on different time horizons illustrating climate-resilient development pathways. The study found that community pathways address mostly current needs and climate variability and that future challenges do not play a central role in the selection of adaptation measures. Although a majority of the actors recognized climate-resilient development as a priority, it tends to be planned in silos without cooperation and coordination among themselves. The results reveal that the risks and vulnerabilities encountered by community members, who are at the receiving end of climate change, have not been incorporated into the development plans of the policymakers. The study concludes that development priorities should be formulated based on the identification of a need and proposes that future cooperation mechanisms for stakeholders should be brought under one umbrella and include a discussion of climate-resilient development pathways that incorporates more community engagement so as not to lose the connection between country aspirations and community voices.

Development of Innovation Economy - Activity of Local Government in Poland

Purpose: The paper aimed to check the activities of local governments contributing to the development of the innovation economy in Poland as well as to find the answer to the questions if local governments both support innovations, as well as implement innovations themselves. Moreover, the purpose of the paper was to find out if activities of local governments depend on their type (rural, urban, urban-rural) or not? Approach/Methodology/Design: In order to achieve that the method of desk research, quantitative and qualitative research were used. The first part of the research was based on a literature review and the second concerned the development of the survey questionnaire based on the literature review. The questionnaire survey was developed and the whole population (2479) of local governments in Poland, was investigated, in early - using the CAWI method. Findings: We have got the answers from 453 local governments. The conducted analysis showed what kind of innovation is undertaken by Polish local governments frequently, we also find out what kind of activities they undertake to increase the innovation economy. Practical Implications: LGUs should continue implementing the innovations resulting from ICT infrastructure and e-government at local level development. Both the world trends as well as last pandemic time confirmed the need of boosting innovations in this area. Secondly, the LG authorities should cooperate with business actors, coming from the other public sector, academia, and civil society. Originality/Value: The research has enabled to develop a conceptual understanding of the relationship between local government and innovative activities.

ВИХОВНИЙ ПОТЕНЦІАЛ ВОЛОНТЕРСЬКОЇ ДІЯЛЬНОСТІ

The article analyzes the features of volunteering through the prism of its educational potential. The tasks of volunteering are defined (assistance in involving a significant number of people in social problems at the local level, ensuring personal, social and professional development of volunteers, promoting their search for desired activities, forms of self-expression and vocation, solving employment problems through various forms of volunteering, etc.). The classification of its forms according to the criteria of subjectivity, purpose and objects is given. The directions of modern volunteering are listed (assistance to disadvantaged, unemployed or homeless people in need of social rehabilitation, large families; taking care of the sick, elderly, lonely people with disabilities and those in need of support; assistance to victims of natural disasters, environmental, technogenic and other catastrophes, social conflicts, accidents, as well as victims of crime and refugees; environmental protection and measures aimed at preserving cultural heritage, historical and cultural environment, historical and cultural monuments, burial places; assistance in carrying out activities related to the organization of mass sports, cultural and other entertainment and social events, etc.). Based on the analysis of the scientific literature, the forms of volunteer activity that are most suitable for adolescents and young people are identified (assistance of socially unprotected people or organizations engaged in socially significant activities; an organization of youth voluntary events aimed at helping children in social protection institutions, economic services and city institutions, cleaning gardens and parks, landscaping, organization of holidays and labor raids in orphanages, boarding schools and nursing homes, assistance in the restoration of monuments and historical sites, as well as other humanitarian events). The aspects of volunteering that are very valuable for education (zero cost, voluntarism, benefits to others, etc.) are identified. It is proved that participation in volunteer activities contributes to the diverse development of the volunteer’s personality, and therefore the involvement of adolescents and young people in such activities should become an important task for educators.

Scopes of community participation in development for adaptation: Experiences from the Haor region of Bangladesh

In the disaster-context, adaptation is considered as the process of changing status with effective strategies for reducing disaster risks and enhancing resilience. Planning approaches for adaptation often merges with socio-economic development, applying a top-down, technocratic rational paradigm. Whereas the bottom-up process of planning encourages communities to participate for sharing the power of decision making, incorporating its knowledge, ideas, and concerns. Particularly in developing countries, non-governmental organization (NGO)s, collaborating with communities and governmental organizations, conduct community development projects. The community reactions towards these projects and condition of community participation in their planning process are needed to be evaluated to develop a better understanding about the scope of community participation in the local level development activities for reducing future risks.This case study based research, employing qualitative tools, studies two settlements in the Haor region of Bangladesh to investigate NGO-driven development projects and their planning process through the lens of community participation. The region is a vast tectonic depression where its inhabitants live with significant seasonal flood risks, accommodating themselves on constructed islands.The empirical evidences are evaluated to identify levels of community participation and it has been found as ritualistic in most of the cases, where the community concerns and demands are ignored through convincing them, manipulating their ideas and providing therapies. It also does not often allow to empower the community to take control over the project, which is considered as necessary in a disaster context to coincide adaptation with development, aiming to enhance community resilience.