Abstract

Local governments in the twenty-first century face challenges regarding service delivery, finance, the workforce, and citizen
engagement. While privatization was a major innovation in the last decades of the twentieth century, lack of costs savings and the
loss of public values in market provision are prompting reversals in privatization, increases in regulation, and new approaches to
government enterprise. The twenty-first century must focus on rebuilding the capacity of local governments to finance critical
infrastructure, attract and retain a skilled labor force, and engage citizen in designing innovative solutions to address public
problems. Innovations in public service delivery will move beyond public private partnerships to models that more effectively
balance accountability, equity, and efficiency concerns.

Journal Information
Public Administration Review has been the premier journal in the field of public administration research and theory for more than
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For most citizens across the region, local government remains the most accessible level of government. It
is the most direct way for people to access basic services, to participate in public processes, and to
exercise their rights and obligations.

Effective local governance is at the heart of all efforts to implement the  Sustainable Development
Goals. Local governments can make a huge difference when it comes to increasing the quality of life of
people in both urban and rural settings, reducing inequalities across society, enhancing relations between
people and public institutions and providing a platform for the voices of minorities.

While decentralization legislation and policies exist in many countries, fiscal responsibilities have remained
centrally controlled. In many cases, local governments are not financially equipped to manage their
services. On the other hand, continued fiscal centralization is often justified by weak capacities at the local
level.

Improving local governance is a vital tool to guarantee peace, boost economic development, maximize administrative
efficiency, and ensure social inclusion and environmental sustainability.

Local governments were designed with the purpose of creating order in ways that serve the general public democratically. The general
public elects the leaders that they have the most faith in to run an effective local government. In electing leaders, the public gives these
elected officials the power to do whatever is necessary to perform its functions and to achieve the municipality's objectives, including
giving the officials the power to levy taxes on citizens.

In exchange for their power, local citizens expect their government to be fair and to spend their tax dollars wisely and without waste.
Citizens expect government workers to work as efficiently as possible so that their tax dollars are put to the best use.

The evolution of board portals for effective local governments is the best and newest solution for bringing efficiency and effectiveness
into homes and communities.

>> See our Local Government Meeting & Agenda Management Software Buyer's
Guide

Understanding the Purpose of Local Government

To best understand the importance of how to run an effective local government, it's important to trace back to under the original intents
and purposes of local government.

The purpose of local government is to provide an organized system where councils exercise their power and responsibilities to work
together for peace, order and good governance of their municipal districts. As part of their duties, councilpersons are expected to work
toward improving social, economic, and environmental viability and sustainability for the benefit of their district. Their duties also entail
promoting appropriate business and employment opportunities for citizens. Effective local governments provide overall quality of life for
the people who reside in their communities.

Local councils are composed of board members or board trustees. The town clerk arranges for a public election to be held at various
intervals where registered voters can vote democratically for their choice of public officials to represent them. The role of the
councilpersons is to achieve the best outcomes for the local community with a focus on the long-term quality of life and continued
community growth.

Federal and state laws exist to provide protections for citizens. Disability laws ensure that the services and facilities provided by local
government are accessible and equitable to everyone living within the community.

While not all duties and responsibilities are defined at the local, state and federal levels, the public holds certain expectations for those
they elect. Citizens expect that their elected officials will abide by laws and regulations. Beyond that, they expect that their officials will
use their resources efficiently and effectively and in ways that provide the most value.

Along those lines, citizens expect that the rates they get charged for services the government provides will be justified and reasonable.
Citizens expect their elected officials to be accountable for their actions and decisions. Accountability considers that local citizens are
entitled to the transparency of information, with the exception of information that is confidential.

The Connection Between Effectiveness and Efficiency

It's common to see the words 'effective' and 'efficient' together, even though they hold very different meanings. While the two words
have starkly different definitions, they often go hand-in-hand.

Effectiveness refers to the process of producing a desired intent or result, and it requires doing the right thing to make it happen.

On the other hand, efficiency refers to preventing or minimizing wasting materials, energy, effort, money or time. We can further break
down the word efficiency by categorizing it.

Technical efficiency refers to doing the most or making the most of something. A common idiom that relates to technical efficiency is
'getting the most bang for your buck.'

Allocative efficiency refers to using resources that produce the highest value. A good example of allocative efficiency is opening up a
coffee shop near a train station. This type of business is attractive and convenient for commuters who enjoy grabbing a cup of coffee
 during their morning commute. The new coffee shop also receives a boost for the business as the traffic from the trains will help them to
become profitable quickly.

Dynamic efficiency refers to better and easier ways of doing the same thing. A board portal system by iCompass, a Diligent brand,
provides a perfect example of how local government boards can work more effectively and efficiently.

Expectations for Efficiency and Effectiveness in the Role of the Council

In addition to having legal responsibilities for ensuring good governance, council members must consider the health and welfare of the
citizens they represent. Council members must effectively serve as representatives of the community, which considers that they must
fairly account for the diverse needs of the community when making council decisions. Effective council members encourage their
constituents to be actively engaged in civic matters and to foster cohesion among members of the community.

Each member of the council is responsible for working as part of a team to establish strategic objectives and monitor progress toward
achieving them. Transparency is a necessary component for ensuring that the council manages the government's resources responsibly.
Citizens hold the council members and local governments accountable for carrying out their duties as efficiently and effectively as
possible.

Local governments are part of larger communities. In this role, council members should advocate for the interests of their local
community to other local governments and communities. Along those lines, effective council members are responsible partners in
government when they also take the needs of neighboring communities into account.

Some of the duties that council members perform with effectiveness and efficiency in mind include:

 Developing proposals that are clearly in the community's best interests

 Planning and providing services and facilities for local citizens' use

 Building and strengthening the community's infrastructure

 Making strategic plans for land use

 Raising revenue to enable the council members to perform their duties

 Creating, passing and enforcing local laws

 Fulfilling their duties and functions to the best of their ability

 Not abusing their powers

 Performing other functions related to peace, order and good governance

Board Portal Technology Supports Effective Local Government

While it's important for council members to reduce spending wherever it makes sense, sometimes it makes sense to invest money to
acquire greater savings in costs and labor through more efficient operations. Investing in board portal technology creates efficiency and
effectiveness in many different ways.

iCompass, a Diligent brand, board portals streamline meeting procedures, which creates efficiency. Electronic processes for online
document storage, agenda creation and minutes creation support such good governance principles as accountability and transparency.
Video recordings provide accountability. In addition, video recordings offer convenience for citizens who wish to view them in real time
or watch them later online. Automated task reminders create efficiency, as iCompass's board portal continually nudges council members
to address their responsibilities.

In essence, an iCompass board portal offers multiple ways for council members to create efficiency and effectiveness. The benefits of
efficiency and effectiveness far outweigh the costs of investing in a board portal system for local governments.

Local self government in India refers to governmental jurisdictions below the level of the state. India is a federal republic with three
spheres of government: central, state and local. The 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments give recognition and protection to local
governments and in addition each state has its own local government legislation. [1] Since 1992, local government in India takes place in two
very distinct forms. Urban localities, covered in the 74th amendment to the Constitution, [2] have Nagar Palika but derive their powers from the
individual state governments, while the powers of rural localities have been formalized under the panchayati raj system, under the 73rd
amendment to the Constitution.[3]
Within the Administrative setup of India, the democratically elected Local self-governance bodies are called the "municipalities" (abbreviated
as the "MC") in urban areas and the "Panchayati Raj Institutes (PRI)" (simply called the "panchayats") in rural areas. There are 3 types of
municipalities based on the population, Municipal Corporation (Nagar Nigam) with more than 1 million population, Municipal Councils (Nagar
Palika) with more than 25,000 and less than 1 million population, and Municipal Committee (Nagar Panchayat) with more than 10,000 and
less than 25,000 population. PRIs in rural areas have 3 hierarchies of panchayats, Gram panchayats at village level, Mandal or block
panchayats at block level, and Zilla panchayats at district level.[4]
Panchayats cover about 96% of India's more than 5.8 lakh (580,000) villages and nearly 99.6% of the rural population. As of 2020, there
were about 3 million elected representatives at all levels of the panchayat, nearly 1.3 million are women. These members represent more
than 2.4 lakh (240,000) gram panchayats, about over 6,672 were intermediate level panchayat samitis at the block level and more than 500
zila parishads at district level.[5] Following the 2013 local election, 37.1% of councillors were women, and in 2015/16 local government
expenditure was 16.3% of total government expenditure. [1]

Types of local governance entities[edit]

See also: Administrative divisions of India

The local governance entities are broadly classified into urban and rural, which are further sub-divided based on the size of population in
case of the urban bodies and based on the size of population and hierarchy in case of the rural bodies.

Urban local governance bodies[edit]

Main article: Municipal governance in India

3 types of MCs[edit]

The following 3 types of democratically elected urban local governance bodies in India are called municipalities and abbreviated as the "MC".
These are classified based on the size of the population of the urban settlement. [14]

 Municipal Corporation, also called the "Nagar Nigam", of cities with more than 1 million population.
 Municipal Councils, also called the "Nagar Palika", of cities with more than 25,000 and less than 1 million population.
 Municipal Committee, also called the "Town Council" or "Nagar Panchayat" or "Town Panchayat" or "Notified Area Council" depending
on the state within which they lie, these are in the town with more than 10,000 and less than 25,000 population.

Municipal Acts[edit]

Municipal Acts are state level legislations to establish municipal governments in urban areas. These acts provide a framework of governance
for cities within the state. Various processes including rules for elections, recruitment of staff, and demarcation of urban areas derive from the
state municipal acts. Almost 70 different municipal acts in India govern the cities in the country. Typically, the municipal acts are of three
types - statewide general municipalities acts, separate acts for establishing municipal corporations, and acts that are specific to individual
municipal corporations.[15]

Functions of MCs[edit]

All municipal acts in India provide for functions, powers and responsibilities to be carried out by the municipal government. These are divided
into two categories: obligatory and discretionary.
The mandatory functions of MC include the supply of pure and wholesome water, construction and maintenance of public streets, lighting
and watering of public streets, cleaning of public streets, places and sewers, regulation of offensive, dangerous or obnoxious trades and
callings or practices, maintenance or support of public hospitals, establishment and maintenance of primary schools, registration of births
and deaths, removing obstructions and projections in public streets, bridges and other places, naming streets and numbering houses,
maintenance of law and public order, etc.
The discretionary functions of MC include the laying out of areas, securing or removal of dangerous buildings or places, construction and
maintenance of public parks, gardens, libraries, museums, rest houses, leper homes, orphanages and rescue homes for women, public
buildings, planting of trees and maintenance of roads, housing for low income groups, conducting surveys, organizing public receptions,
public exhibitions, public entertainment, provision of transport facilities with the municipality, and promotion of welfare of municipal
employees.
Some of the functions of the urban bodies overlap with the work of state agencies. The functions of the municipality, including those listed in
the Twelfth Schedule to the Constitution, are left to the discretion of the state government. Local bodies have to be bestowed with adequate
powers, authority and responsibility to perform the functions entrusted to them by the Act. However, the Act has not provided them with any
powers directly and has instead left it to state government discretion. [16] These are all functions of MCs

Rural local governance bodies[edit]

Main articles: Panchayati raj in India and Democracy in Vedic era
The democratically elected local self-governance bodies in the villages of rural India are called Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) which are
based on the vedic era native democratic panchayat (Council of five officials) system. [17][18]

3 hierarchies of PRI panchayats[edit]

The following 3 hierarchies of PRI panchayats exist in states or Union Territories with more than two million inhabitants:

 Gram Panchayats at village level

 Panchayat Samiti at Community Development Block level and
 Zila Parishad at district level.[18]

The panchayati raj system is a three-tier system with elected bodies at the village, taluk and district levels. The modern system is based in
part on traditional Panchayat governance, in part on the vision of Mahatma Gandhi and in part by the work of various committees to
harmonize the highly centralized Indian governmental administration with a degree of local autonomy. [19] The result was intended to create
greater participation in local government by people and more effective implementation of rural development programs. Although, as of 2015,
implementation in all of India is not complete, the intention is for there to be a gram panchayat for each village or group of villages,
a tehsil level council, and a zilla panchayat at the district level.