Contemporary issues of Local government

Local Government refers to specific institutions or entities created to

deliver a range of specified services to a relatively small geographically
defined area .Local government can viewed as the doorsteps government
which deliver the goods and services to the local people very closely.
Various factors and actors played an important role to determine the
effectiveness of the local government functioning. So some
contemporary issues and challenges must be considered while
functioning at local level.

1. Issue of democratization and periodic election:

Democracy is the both behavior and civilization. Actual practice of the

democracy at grass root level is important for local government system.
As we know local government deliver the values of democracy at local
level. But process of democratization within the society is too much
challenging it is due to the lack of strong political commitment and
misperception of democracy. It’s also depends on the willingness of the
political system and political parties.

On the other hand periodic election strengthens the local democracy. But
the issue may rise does the election holds on time? These crucial issues
are major issues for local government system.

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2. Issues related to Recognition:

Local government can be created by various legal instruments. Level

of autonomy and its use is guided by the foundation base of local
institution. Status of local government determines by its recognition
and legal base. Recognition basically focuses on the ground base of
the local government institutions in which bases they were created
either by decentralized authority or by constitutional recognition.
Issue of recognition directly associated with the level of autonomy
and its power relationship between and among the levels of
government. So an issue related to recognition is important for local
government.

3. Financial issues:
Without strong economic backing, local government may be
paralyzed. Financial issue of local government is important ingredient
of governing system at local level. Availability of local resources,
exploration of local resources, capital formation, income status of
residency, consumption patterns of the people, poverty, situation of
employment etc. directly affect the local governance system.
Financial issues focuses on:
a. How to strengthening financial autonomy?
b. How to generate the income?
c. By which means economic benefits to be allocated?
d. Intergovernmental transfer- what process to be followed?
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Financial capability and its optimum use show the relevancy of local
government. But financial issues demands the clear relationship and
financial autonomy to the local level and also focuses on how
intergovernmental transfer to be made?? Above mentions issues are
major which must be addressed for effective local government system.

4. Issue of Structural problem

Creation of local government is somehow easy but to make them

functional and matching with structural setting is major challenge for
local government. Structural adjustment of three organs of
government i.e. executive, legislative and judiciary is challenging job
for local government. Without proper structural setting local
government cannot reacted the issues of local affairs so the issues
related to structure is challenging for local government. This issue
focuses on”

a. Structural adjustment- vertical as well as horizontal

b. Functional adjustment
c. Creation of hierarchy for effective service delivery
d. Creation of local authority

5. issue of Local Community Development

Unfortunately the excessive concentration of people and
businesses pursuing economic efficiency in the main urban areas

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 brought about a number of problems, including air and water
pollution, noise, subsidence, traffic congestion, the loss of local
traditions, and the spread of an “efficiency-first” attitude. are
losing many of their young people and most of their workforce to
the large cities, leaving only children and the elderly and putting
the communities’ existence at risk. Policies to revitalize local
communities are needed if a proper balance between urban and
rural development is to be maintained.
“Local community development” is broadly described: it refers to
the promotion and revitalization of many elements associated with
residents’ daily lives, including the local government process itself,
as well as such things as local culture and tradition, and not just to
improvements in the local economy. The process must therefore be
both comprehensive and horizontal in approach, rather than
depending on the more vertical approach of central government
policies. So the management of these extensive issues is major
challenges for the local government.

6. Residents’ Participation and Access to information

Society has grown more complex and people’s thinking and sense of
values become increasingly diverse, local authorities have seen the
need for new ways of keeping in touch with their respective
communities. It is no longer enough to rely on outmoded and ill-used

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systems neither of recall and residents’ votes, or simply to rely on
elected members and the council process. Today a variety of methods
are used to guarantee that popular opinion is considered fully when
projects or services are planned and implemented. To reflect popular
opinion directly in day-to-day services in addition to project planning
and execution, especially at the municipal level, informal meetings
with the mayor are held, citizens’ committees are organized and
suggestion boxes are made available to give everyone a chance to
voice their opinions. Local governments have recently enacted
disclosure of information bylaws and, at the behest of local citizens,
are actively making government information available. By allowing
access to information, local authorities are also helping to maintain
public relations by letting residents confirm that the administrative
work is being done appropriately. Management of information and
participation of the people to the governing process truly is another
challenge for local government. Nowadays, it becomes more complex
and challenging for managing the diverse sense of the locals.

7. Issue of Human Resource Management:

This issue reflects the whole process of human resource management

and its function. How local government hires and manages the
required human capital and what process does followed is the major
issue of local government. It doesn’t focuses on the process of hiring
it also demands for the whole process of HR system i.e. how acquired
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HR developed, by which process to be motivated and how to retain
the skilled and trained manpower within the organization. Another
challenged to be added to the HR system is how to make the
manpower inclusive and representative without losing the system of
meritocracy.

8. Issue related to judiciary:

Local government by principle is the government of people at
doorsteps. It demands the services at the door of the people. But
the issue of delivering judicial services is major challenged to the
local government system. As we know the process of dispensation
of justice is time consuming and often more costly. So managing
the justice timely and economic way is challenging. For this
purpose there are various qusai-judicial authorities to be created
like mediation and other conflict resolution units within the
territory. But how to create and how to define the relationship
between and among the regular judicial system is very hard.

9. Issues of inclusion and empowerment:

Local government exists within the diverse and varied society
which demands for the management of diversity. Management of
diverse culture and social belief and norms, consolidating the
differences of the society and inclusion of the varied cultural
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 norms and values within the governing process is challenging for
the local government. Various methods to be carried for managing
the diversities are as:
 Positive discrimination and reservation
 Empowerment
 Target programmed
 Human development activities.

10.Issue of Capacity building:

Holistic capacity building is the most crucial issue for the local
government. Efficiency and economy of local government can be
measure by the capacity to satisfy the local people on their respective
demands. But strengthening the local capability is challenging it’s
because local government associated with varied issues of local
affairs. Local affairs are huge and voluminous so managing them is
important. For this, local capacity must be enhanced and manage
affairs properly. So managing the issue of capacity building is
challenging for the local government.

11. Issues of Accountability and Transparency:

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Local governance demands the direct responsibility from local
government. Local government must be responsible on their function
and behavior to the local people. In fact, the situation of
accountability is poorly examined. Local people wants to know how
local governmental agencies carried activities, by whom to be
financing and what is the level of representation and participation of
the local to be ensured. So managing these issues properly and
showing the status of the local governmental activities to the people
time and again is challenging to the local government. It’s because
that the behavior of our administration is still secret which
sometimes leads to corruption.

12. Management related issues:

There are various management issues that local governmental

authority to be managed for the betterment of the people of the
locality. They can be stated as:
 Issue of managing disaster
 Issue of managing conflict
 Issue of managing procurement
 Issue of managing peace and security

How to handle and mange these issues are important for the
governing process.
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13. Protection related issues:
Local government is the caretaker government to the society
which protects and promotes the collective interest of the society.
So protection of the diversity and cultural differences is the main
responsibility of the local authority. So there are various
protective issues that local government must be managed are as
follows:
 Protection of local culture and heritages
 Protection of human rights
 Protection of the rights of minorities

14.Issue related to coordination:

As we defined; local government is the key actors of government
which governed and guides the other actors and factors of the
governance. So challenges related to managing and coordinating
other factors and actors is very hard to the local governmental
authority. Differences of the norms and motives of other factors
may create the problems to the local government. So managing
and coordinating them for the collective and mutual benefits is
challenging to the local government times and again.