Political Participation & Local Government (Pl.Sc.

422)

Fiscal Choice and Expressing “Voice”

Waves of Democracy & Reverse Waves of Authoritarianism

First long wave 1828 – 1926 First reverse wave 1922 – 1944 Second short wave 1943-1964 Second reverse wave 1962-1975

In Latin America

What difference has “Third Wave Democracy Made for how local governments function?

Historic Lima

Third Wave Democracy Begins

Local elections return More government offices fill by

elections Legacy for local government from

decades of central control Aloof Opaque Closed to citizen input

Political Participation Quickly became chief propellant for the

“quiet revolution,” but existed previously Loud course of citizen demands

traditionally targetd specific and highly visual issues Street demonstrations Union movements Organized neighborhood groups

After decentralization, participation became part of the steering mechanism in many local governments

Voices from Below Action From Below: tapping into grassroots opinion

Typically practiced by local authorities by visiting local groups

Inviting them to city hall Town meetings Citizen pannels Polling

Voices from Below Action From Below: mobilizing grassroots groups

Participatory budgeting Porto Alegre (Brazil) model Residents incorporated into decisions about

capital investment in their city Participation: local

implementation/execution Comites de solidaridad (Mexico- supervising

specific projects)) Comites de vigilencia (watchdog groups –

Bolivia) Parroquias in Venezuela

Voices from Below Action From Below: beneficiary contributions

Counterpart contributions (targeted on neighborhood improvement projects)

Targeted tax increases Condominial operation of public

services (sewage systems in Brazil)

Voices from Below Action From Below: citizen-initiated contact

Municipal associations rank/rate municipal governments

Office at which citizens can communicate complaints directly to elected officials

Ombudsman office None of these contact points existed

prior to the “quiet revolution”

Voices from Below Action From Below: electoral and voting systems

Ballot box to change unresponsive local governments

Ballot box to gain support for borrowing and spending

Separation of local and non-local elections

Voices from Below Action From Below: legal and judicial system

Participation through legal and judicial actions in its infancy

Impeachment – rare but some evidence it is now viewed as an option

To be effective requires a complex infrastructure of law, case histories, local courts & professional expertise

Generally absent in Latin America

To Summarize: Common Denominator of post-

decentralization Participation

Officials at many levels of government believed that their interest lay in: tapping into grass roots groups Mobilizing new ones

Goal: expand role of citizen participation in local government

Additional Points: Participation in US vs.

Latin America National, not local capture has long

been important in Latin America Unclear the extent that municipal

orientation has been consolidated Participatory experience during “Quiet

Revolution demonstrate what is possible under new “rules of the game”

Continuing outside engagement may be necessary prevent backsliding

Final Critical Lesson Power sharing and participation mean

that traditional measure of local government performance – where local goods and services are delivered efficiently – is not enough

For strong and vigorous local government to be institutionalized

Local governments must become mechanisms of accountability