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vision or oversight. There is, in short, a wide range of ways that well-functioning local governments can contribute to improving basic services and, consequently, the quality of life of their residents. The scope of GOLD III: basic local services in context The seven regional chapters of this report explore a set of common issues that shape the provision of local basic services. Each regional report describes the roles of each level of government and, in particular, the conditions necessary for local governments to be able to fulfil the responsibilities as-
local governments and the extent of political and fiscal decentralization in the field of local basic services. Basic services are anchored in particular geographic locations and have to respond to a range of local realities. There is therefore a strong case for the decentralization of authority over many basic services, in line with the principle of subsidiarity: decisions are made by the lowest level of government that is able to make them effectively. In decentralized systems, local governments are vested with powers to organize the provision of basic services. They are
Box 2. The concept of decentralization6 In this report, decentralization is understood as the existence of: Local authorities, distinct from the state’s administrative authorities, who have a degree of self-government, elaborated in the framework of the law, with their own powers, resources and capacities to meet responsibilities and with legitimacy underpinned by representative, elected local democratic structures that determine how power is exercised and that make local authorities accountable to citizens in their jurisdiction)
signed to them. The chapters examine the relationship of local governments with national and regional levels of government, the private sector and civil society. There is a special focus on the question of how to guarantee a minimum level of service to all, while, at the same time, ensuring the financial and environmental sustainability of services. Each report ends with policy recommendations that aim to achieve these goals in the context of the existing and emerging challenges in the region. Institutional and legal frameworks: Particular attention is given to the role of
considered as the ‘organizing authority’ of such services. An organizing authority is a public or publicly-owned body with legal and political responsibility to plan or regulate services in a specified area.7 It determines the ownership model, level of competition, and sets accessibility, affordability, technical and environmental standards. Access: The latest data on the coverage and quality of basic local services are reviewed, as well as the disparities between countries and within them. In some cases, this task is complicated by a lack of reliable or comparable data, or controversies
Extracted from UCLG, Decentralization and Local Democracy in the World, 1st GOLD Report, Washington, World Bank, 2008. 6
Definition from ISO 24510 standard for water and waste water: “the responsible authority is the entity that has the overall responsibility for providing the service to the population in a given geographic area.” See also: http://www.uitp. org/public-transport/organising-authorities/ 7