State Building and Local Governance: Supporting Local Governments in South Asia

Center for Global Development and The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies co-hosted Massachusetts Avenue Development Seminar (MADS)*, State Building and Local Governance: Supporting Local Governments in South Asia, featuring Junaid Ahmad, Lead Economist,World Bank.Gina Lambright, Department of Political Science, George Washington University and S. Tjip Walker, Team Leader, Warning and Analysis,
USAID Office of Conflict Management and Mitigation, served as discussants. 

Abstract: Strengthening of the local state -- the institutions of local governments -- is emerging as one of the critical mechanisms of political and economic change in South Asia. It involves two important and inter-linked processes. First, the decentralization or transfer of certain state functions, finance, and functionaries from central and state level governments to local governments and second, the establishment of mechanisms by which citizens can hold the lowest tier of government accountable. Jointly these two processes form the policy agenda on local governance. The paper provides a discussion of the analytical framework and the operational strategy on local governance being pursued by the Social Development Unit of the World Bank in South Asia. [This work is joint with Lant Pritchett.]

*The Massachusetts Avenue Development Seminar (MADS) series is an effort by the Center for Global Development and The Paul H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies to take advantage of the incredible concentration of great international development scholars in the Metro Washington, DC area. The series seeks to bring together members of this community and improve communication between them.