Citizen participation in the decisionmaking and development activities of local government can produce more efficient and effective delivery of services by the public sector. In order to foster participation, some responsibility must be devolved from central to local government. However, the...

This overall picture of decentralization and local democracy in African countries shows significant progress at the strictly institutional level. No country now publicly opposes the implementation of decentralization policies. Local governments exist in all countries, and elections are held to...

Cities now host half the world's population and provide 70 percent of world Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Managing them well is vital for development. The Bank has assisted nearly 3,000 municipalities worldwide over the past decade. This Bank assistance has helped strengthen the planning,...

Urban sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Brazilian cities are growing. At the national level, the dominance of greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation in Brazil masks the fact that emissions from other sectors, like Energy, Transport and Waste, are growing quite rapidly in cities....