IGU THEMATIC CONFERENCE

Practical Geography and XXI Century Challenges

Moscow, Russia, June 4-6 2018 

Conference website: http://www.igras.ru/100igras/en/  

Session organized by the IGU Commission on Geography of Governance 

Local Governance for Local Development in the XXI Century:

Opportunities and Limitations 

Session chairpersons: Olga Glezer & Carlos Nunes Silva 

Call for papers: 1 December 2017 - 1 March 2018 (new date)

For additional information about the Session, contact:

             Carlos Nunes Silva, IGU Commission Geography of Governance
Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning, University of Lisbon, Portugal

             E-mail: igu.geogov@gmail.com  

The session on "Local Governance for Local Development in the  XXI  Century:  Opportunities  and  Limitations"  aims  to explore,  compare  and  draw  practical  lessons  from  the changes experienced by local government in different regions of  the  world,  in  the  Global  North  as  well  as  in  the  Global South,  with  special  attention  to  Russia,  in  the  last  quarter century. The session aims to explore the institutional changes and the challenges,  with  which  Local  Governance  has  been confronted,  in  particular  the  shifts  associated  with decentralization,  with  the  move  from  the  traditional hierarchical  model  of  government  to  networked  forms  of governance,  the  engagement  of  private  entities  in  local governance, the new forms of citizen participation, and the shift to forms of local e-government due to the increasing and widespread  use  of  information  and  communication technologies.  In  this  context,  quite  opposite  trends,  i.e.,  of centralization  implemented  in  Russia  and  other  countries need to be interpreted.

The  session  will  be  an  opportunity  for  discussions  of  the changes in local governance in the last two decades and half and the challenges currently confronting local governments around the world. Papers  should  seek  to  offer  a  comparative  focus  and  to provide practical lessons for countries and regions.

The session aims to address, but is not limited to the following issues:

(a) Central - local relations: trends, challenges and outcomes

(b)  Local  Government:  abolition  of  local  tiers  and  merger reforms

(c) Inter-Municipal cooperation

(d)  Metropolitan  Government  and  the  Governance  of  CityRegions

(e)  Privatization  ,  Public-Private  Partnerships  and  remunicipalisation of local public services

(f) Austerity and innovation in local governance

(g) Local e-Government: citizen (e-)participation