Decentralised local governance (DLG) has been an increasingly global phenomenon for over two decades. This trend shows few signs of abating despite the limited and mixed evidence of its impact.
The potentially critical role of DLG for development effectiveness and the persistent prominence of DLG on the developing country reform agenda have convinced many DPs to continue supporting related reforms. But how effectively has DLG support been provided relative to the PD/AAA principles and commitments?
DeLoG investigations summarised in this paper show that progress is uneven and mixed. In recent years, more funds have been channelled through programme-based approaches and multi- donor trust funds, which are to various degrees better aligned to (local) country systems than more conventional approaches. DP coordination mechanisms have also improved and joint missions and peer reviews have increased. Yet stand-alone projects, project implementation units, and parallel systems remain significant, and many countries still face fragmentation of DLG support. DeLoG has identified four key challenges that hinder adherence to aid-effectiveness principles for DLG support.
The purpose of this paper is fourfold:
- To highlight the case for intensifying efforts to make development partner support for DLG more effective;
- To examine the role of DLG in promoting aid effectiveness, with an emphasis on adherence to the principles agreed on in the PD and AAA;
- To review the considerable challenges – some well-known, some more recently recognised – that development partners face in terms of meeting these demanding principles; and
- To consider possible ways forward in advancing these aid-effectiveness principles more robustly in a post-Busan setting.
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