Participation and accountability at the periphery : democratic local governance in six countries

Democratic local governance (DLG), now a major subtheme within the overall context of democratic development, promises that government at the local level can become more responsive to citizen desires and more effective in service delivery. Based on a six-country study sponsored by USAID (Bolivia, Honduras, India, Mali, the Philippines and Ukraine), this paper analyses the two topics of participation and accountability, finding that both show significant potential for promoting DLG. However, there seem to be important limitations on how much participation can actually deliver, while accountability covers a much wider range of activity and larger scope for DLG strategy than initially appears. Nonetheless, there is considerable scope for enhancing both participation and accountability at the local level.