Observations from Six Councils 2002-2003
Governance entails participation, transparency, efficiency, and equity in the management of people and their economy in a given country. Governance comprises the mechanisms, processes, and institutions, through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, exercise their legal rights, meet their obligations and mediate their differences. Local governance refers to the way a local authority fulfills its responsibilities towards the citizens in their areas of jurisdiction. It covers relationships between local authority leaders and the citizens, as well as political parties and non-governmental organizations, and the central government in all phases of formulating policies that affect people in carrying out their daily activities.