Citizens in Charge: Managing Local Budgets in East Asia and Latin America

"Takes a close look at people's involvement in the new framework of state decentralization. By focusing on the potential as well as the limitations of citizens managing local budgets, the goal is to improve the process of democratization of the state and society. The contributors explore the achievements of the process of decentralization, which is the backdrop for the emerging process of citizen participation in public decisionmaking at the local government level. The volume approaches this issue from a general perspective and up close through case studies. The broad perspective generates a framework for analytical understanding of fiscal decentralization and participation. The case studies highlight local experiences in East Asia - Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines - and Latin America - Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. Each case illustrates a particular leadership style and type of participation. Important similarities emerge in the areas of trust, political will, unity among actors, intergovernmental coordination, capacity of government and citizen organizations to generate participatory public policies, and redistribution of power and responsibility between the state and civil society."--Publisher's web site.