The Center for Development Research (ZEF) is an international and interdisciplinary research institute of the University of Bonn, Germany. Local governance of natural resources implies the transfer of administrative duties from the national to the regional level, as well as the day-to-day management by local users. The case studies range from forests in Vietnam and Africa, African wetlands, to water in Afghanistan and land in Malaysia. The book illustrates the dynamics in the local arena under consideration of national administrative and legal re-organization and analyses the dynamics of this conflict-prone interface.

This book explores and analyses women’s participation in local urban governance in West Bengal, India. It is developed from empirical research with in-depth understanding of ground situations of freedom, functioning and obstacles of women councilors in India. The central idea of this book revolves around two central research questions: 1. How are women’s positions and spaces changing due to their political participation in the urban local governance? and 2. What are the major hurdles they face in their day to day lives barring their emancipation? The main strength of the book lies in the in-depth grounded research in four small cities (Darjiling, Balurghat, Raniganj and Hugli-Chinsurah) using both quantitative and qualitative research methods. This volume can be considered as a reference book for Gender Studies, Women’s Studies, Urban Governance, Women and Policy Research, Gender Development Studies.

Local government is at the forefront of development. In South Africa the ambitious policy objectives of post-apartheid reconstruction and development hinge on the successful creation of a democratic tier of government close to the people. An entirely new system of 'developmental local government' has thus been introduced. As is the case in many developing countries, the responsibilities of municipalities in South Africa have been extended dramatically, often without adequate resources. Managing municipalities for development therefore requires political will and strategic intervention. The book provides a comprehensive introduction to developmental local government. It includes: the design of the new local government system and the issues posed by decentralisation; an overview of specific challenges of urban and rural municipalities; a discussion of special issues facing local government including poverty, gender and environment; new tools for local government, including budgeting, indicators, municipal partnerships and capacity building.

This volume explores new directions of governance and public policy arising both from interpretive political science and those who engage with interpretive ideas. It conceives governance as the various policies and outcomes emerging from the increasing salience of neoclassical and institutional economics or, neoliberalism and new institutionalisms. In doing so, it suggests that that the British state consists of a vast array of meaningful actions that may coalesce into contingent, shifting, and contestable practices. Based on original fieldwork, it examines the myriad ways in which local actors - civil servants, mid-level public managers, and street level bureaucrats - have interpreted elite policy narratives and thus forged practices of governance on the ground. This book will be of key interest to scholars, students and practitioners of governance and public policy.

How has the Internet been changing our lives, and how did these changes come about? Nathan Newman seeks the answers to these questions by studying the emergence of the Internet economy in Silicon Valley and the transformation of power relations it has brought about in our new information age. Net Loss is his effort to understand why technological innovation and growth have been accompanied by increasing economic inequality and a sense of political powerlessness among large sectors of the population. Newman first tells the story of the federal government’s crucial role in the early development of the Internet, with the promotion of open computer standards and collaborative business practices that became the driving force of the Silicon Valley model. He then examines the complex dynamic of the process whereby regional economies have been changing as business alliances built around industries like the Internet replace the broader public investments that fueled regional growth in the past. A radical restructuring of once regionally focused industries like banking, electric utilities, and telephone companies is under way, with changes in federal regulation helping to undermine regional planning and the power of local community actors. The rise of global Internet commerce itself contributes to weakening the tax base of local governments, even as these governments increasingly use networked technology to market themselves and their citizens to global business, usually at the expense of all but their most elite residents. More optimistically, Newman sees an emerging countertrend of global use of the Internet by grassroots organizations, such as those in the antiglobalization movements, that may help to transcend this local powerlessness.

This book investigates two critical political science domains: international negotiation processes and the establishment of good governance practices, using real-world examples. The author’s observations, analyses, and recommendations provide a unique blend of researcher and practitioner experiences that were implemented in conjunction with government authorities, businesses, the media, and citizen groups in over 40 countries. The book examines negotiation process dynamics from several perspectives: the inclusion of new actors; the impact of psychology, creativity, and values; the significance of post-agreement negotiations; and how negotiations that resolve civil wars need to incorporate explicit good governance provisions. From the governance perspective, the book analyzes the age-old problem of corruption, which is often a major factor responsible for bad governance practices, economic dysfunction, and widespread poverty. It explores the importance of strengthening citizen advocacy for reforms, designing and implementing anti-corruption strategies for fragile states, customizing anti-corruption strategies through targeted risk assessments, and deconstructing the negotiation give-and-take in corrupt transactions to reduce their impact. Each chapter incorporates the author’s practitioner experiences with his research contributions, along with examples of events he experienced when implementing programs around the world. This unique volume will be used in university courses on international negotiation, conflict resolution, governance practices, international development, and comparative politics, as well as providing a useful resource for researchers, policymakers, practitioners, NGOs, donor organizations, and grant-giving organizations.