Decentralisation and Local Governance Approach: A Prospect for Implementing the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

Since 1980, Professor A.H.J (Bert) Helmsing has been involved in research, lecturing and supervision of PhD dissertations on decentralisation, local governance, enablement and service provision across four continents (Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America). His work on these subjects has provided new insights into the changing governance modalities for efficient and effective public services delivery at the local level. Lessons on the implementation of the millennium development goals (MDGs) showed that decentralisation and the local governance approach helped governments and development partners to achieve progress. No doubt, implementation of nine of the seventeen proposed sustainable development goals (SDGs) to replace the eight millennium development goals will benefit substantially from the decentralisation and local governance approach that Helmsing has spearheaded. Being his student, supervisee, mentee and later, colleague at ISS, I am extremely honoured to push his ideas on this approach forward towards implementation of the post-2015 global development agenda. While implementation of the agenda will not be part of Helmsing’s teaching or supervising assignment, it will surely involve his ideas.