Cover -- Title Page -- Contents -- Foreword: 1st UCLG World Report on Decentralization and Local Democracy in the World -- Preface -- Note -- Editorial Project -- Acknowledgments -- Main authors1 by chapters -- Africa -- Asia-Pacific -- Eurasia -- Europe -- Latin America -- Middle East & West Asia -- North America -- Metropolitan governance -- Conclusions -- Postface -- Other contributors2 -- Africa -- Asia-Pacific -- Eurasia -- Europe -- Latin America -- Metropolis -- Middle East & West Asia -- North America -- Special acknowledgments for financial and advisory support -- Note -- Introduction -- Introduction -- Note -- 1 Africa -- I. Introduction -- II. Changes at Structural Levels -- Governance of major cities -- III. Responsibilities, Management and Finance -- III.1. Responsibilities -- III.2. Financial Management -- III.2.1. Local resource mobilization -- III.2.2. State financial transfers to local governments -- III.2.3. The financial weight of local governments -- III.3. Administrative Capacity -- III.3.1. Human resources -- III.3.2. Existence and level of training of the principal municipal officials -- III.3.3. Status of local government personnel -- IV. Local Democracy -- IV.1. Local Political System -- IV.2. Citizen Participation -- IV.3. Relationship between Central and Decentralized Government Authorities -- IV.4. Role of Local Government Associations -- IV.4.1. United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA) -- IV.4.2. African Conference on Decentralization and Local Development (CADDEL) -- V. Conclusion -- Note -- 2 Asia-Pacific -- I. Introduction -- II. Territorial Organization -- II.1. Delineating Local Governments -- II.2. Legal Framework for Local Government -- II.3. Evolution of Local Government Structures -- II.4. Tiers and Size of Local Governments -- III. Powers and Responsibilities, Management and Finances.

III.1. Functions of Local Government -- III.2. Local Government Finances -- III.3. Administrative Capacity of Local Government -- III.4. Integrity and Corruption -- III.5. Central-Local Relations -- III.6. Local Government Associations -- IV. Local Democracy -- IV.1. Electoral Systems for Local Councils -- IV.2. Electoral Systems for Local Executives -- IV.3. The Role of Political Parties -- IV.4. Citizen Participation in Local Governance -- IV.5. The Political Representation of Disadvantaged and Minority Groups -- V. Conclusion -- Annex 1 Major Local Government Legislation in Selected Asia-Pacific Countries -- Note -- 3 Eurasia -- I. Introduction -- II. Evolution of Structures -- II.1. The Renaissance of Local Self-Government and Its Constitutional Basis -- Stages of development -- II.2. Territorial Organization and Territorial Reforms -- Capitals and Metropolitan Areas -- II.3. Evolution of Relationships between Central and Local Governments -- III. Functions, Management and Finances -- III.1. Financial Management -- Local taxes -- Tax shares -- Budgetary transfer -- Functions -- Main functions -- III.2. Main Trends in Selected Competences -- Planning -- Education -- Provision of social services -- Provision of public health services -- Water, energy and public transportation -- Business development support -- III.3. Administrative Capacity -- Municipal service -- Integrity of elected officials and employees -- prevention of corruption -- Management reforms -- IV. Local Democracy -- IV.1. Local Government Bodies -- IV.2. Local Political Systems -- Role of political parties -- IV.3. Electoral Systems -- IV.4. Citizen Participation -- IV.5. Central-Local Relationships -- IV.6. National Associations of Local Self-Government -- V. Conclusion -- Note -- 4 Europe -- I. Introduction -- II. Territorial Organization.

II.1. Definition of Jurisdictions and Government Levels -- II.2. Basic Community-Level Local Government (The Local Council) -- II.3. Intermediate Levels -- III. Powers and Responsibilities, Management and Finances -- III.1. Finances -- III.1.1. Local Authority Expenditure -- III.1.2. Local Government Resources -- a) The structure of resources -- b) Own local tax revenue -- c) Other funding techniques -- III.2. Powers and Responsibilities -- III.2.1. Categories of powers and responsibilities -- III.2.2. Functions -- III.3. Administrative Capacity -- III.3.1. Human resources -- III.4.1. Management Reforms -- IV. Local Democracy -- IV.1. The Local Political System -- IV.2. Citizen Participation -- IV.3. Supervision -- IV.4. The Impact of Decentralization and Local Democracy on National Policies -- IV.5. The Role of Local Government Associations -- V. Conclusion -- Note -- 5 Latin America -- I. Introduction -- II. Evolution of Local Governments -- II.1. Decentralization Cycles -- II.2. Municipalities, Cities and Metropolitan Areas -- III. Finances, Responsibilities and Management Capacities -- III.1. Progress in Decentralization and Financing Capabilities -- III.2. Income and Taxation Capacity of Intermediate and Municipal Bodies -- III.3. Transfers and Compensatory Financing -- III.4. Control Systems and Difficulties of Indebtedness -- III.5. Public Services -- III.6. Local Government Personnel and Civil Service Career -- IV. Local Democracy -- IV.1. Local Electoral Regimes -- IV.2. Civic Participation -- IV.3. Minority Rights -- IV.4. Municipal Associativism and Defence of Municipal Autonomy -- V. Achievements, Limitations and Perspectives on Decentralization -- VI. Conclusion -- Note -- 6 Middle East / Western Asia -- I. Introduction -- II. Evolution of Local Government Structures -- II.1. The Objectives of Decentralization -- a) External factors.

b) Internal factors -- II.2. Encouraging Progress -- II.3. The Persistence of the Centralized Model -- a) Central state supervision -- b) The weight of the political and social system -- II.4. Specific Structures for the Organization of the Metropolitan Cities -- III. Responsibilities, Management and Finances -- III.1. Local Authority Finances -- III.2. Responsibilities -- III.2.1. Extensive theoretical areas of responsibility -- III.2.2. A reality often out of step with the legislation -- III.2.3. External solutions to the municipal framework -- III.3. Administrative Capacities -- IV. Local Democracy -- IV.1. A Changing Local Democracy -- IV.2. Partially Kept Promises: The Central State and Local Politics -- a) A priori state intervention -- b) A posteriori intervention -- IV.3. The People's Participation -- IV.4. A Specific Problem: The Representation of Women -- IV.5. Local Elections as an Ideological and Community Platform -- IV.6. The Role of the Security Factor and the Delicate Situation of the Governments -- V. Conclusion -- Annex 1 Great Metropolises of the Region -- Annex 2 Local Democracy -- Note -- 7 North America (Canada and the United States) -- I. Introduction -- II. Local Government Structures and Their Evolution -- Local government consolidation and inter-local governance -- III. Functions, Management and Finance -- III.1. Finance -- Expenditures -- Revenues -- Revenues in relation to tasks -- Local government borrowing -- III.2. Functions -- Local government functions -- Shifts in local service provision -- III.3. Administrative Capacity -- Personnel -- Public service rules and guarantees for employees -- Reforms and management initiatives -- E-government -- Gender equality policies -- IV. Local Democracy -- IV.1. Parties and Partisanship -- IV.2. Elected Executives -- IV.3. Council Voting Systems -- IV.4. Citizen Participation.

IV.5. Choice of Localities to Determine the Shape of Their Own Institutions -- IV.6. Local Political Representation -- IV.7. Traditional Institutions -- IV.8. Decentralization and Oversight of Local Government -- IV.9. Public Opinion on Local Government -- IV.10. Local Government Associations -- IV.11. National Organizations Also Take on Other Roles -- V. Conclusion -- 8 Metropolitan Governance -- I. Introduction -- II. Conditions of Metropolitan Governance -- Differences between northern and southern metropolitan regions -- III. Key Challenges of Governing Metropolitan Areas -- III.1. Social and Territorial Diversity -- III.2. Governmental Fragmentation -- III.3. Economic Globalization and Competitiveness -- III.4. Socio-Political Conflicts -- IV. Institutional Alternatives for Governance within Metropolitan Areas -- IV.1. Supra-Community Reform -- IV.2. Territorial Polycentrism -- IV.3. The "New Regionalism" -- V. Panorama of Existing Metropolitan Governance Arrangements -- V.1. Spatial Coverage -- V.2. Institutional Thickness -- a) New Town or Metropolitan Town -- b) Co-existence of local governments with metropolitan structures -- c) Intercommunity co-operation -- V.3. Democratic Depth -- V.4. Relations with Higher-Level Governments -- V.5. Sectoral Diversity and Limited Convergence -- VI. Conclusion: The Emerging Metropolitan Agenda -- VI.1. Multi-Level Governance -- VI.2. Participation in Metropolitan Governance -- VI.3. Ecological Sustainability -- VI.4. Social and Spatial Inequalities -- Annex 1 Examples of Metropolitan Organization, by Tasks -- 9 Conclusion: Decentralization and Democracy: A Global Perspective in 2007 -- Introduction -- I. The Many Faces of Decentralization and Democracy -- Snapshot of the Regions -- Framework of Issues -- Velocity of Change -- II. Progress and Pitfalls: Six Core Issues -- Policy and Strategy.

Organization of the State.