The quality of ‘Public Administration’ becomes very concrete in towns and cities. It enters your senses: waste is either collected or a thorn in your eye, the sewage works or smells, public spaces feel safe and look attractive or not. Apart from that: people may feel encouraged to participate in decision-making or excluded, development plans may be implemented or not, basis registries may be up to standards or non-existent, etc.

Decentralisation brings government closer to people. But well-organised decentralisation, contributing to effective public administration is quite a challenge.

A selection from the issues addressed in our projects in this field of expertise:

• developing well-defined inter-governmental interfaces
• establishing inter-governmental financial relations that match the division of responsibilities
• local taxation as a basis for sustained service provision, requiring accountability and a well-functioning civil registry and land/property registration
• training for local councillors on their roles and responsibilities
• capacity building for local government staff to perform