ABSTRACT
In three complementary parts, Localizing Governance pursues a basic argument seeking to capture the complexities of the processes leading to localizing governance. This is an evidence-based argument which makes the point that efforts towards localizing governance through participatory modes are transcendental, cutting across space and time. What is thus being attempted here is to understand the phenomenon that manifests itself differently in different phases of history, though the basic thrust – decentring of authority – remains the same. Two common themes appear in the theoretical literature: on the one hand, it has been accepted that democracy is the fundamental recipe of good communitarian existence, so the aim is to create the conditions so that democracy can flourish without disruption. There is also a complementary conceptual parameter, on the other hand, which suggests that, for democracy to succeed, one needs to evolve supportive institutional mechanisms which not only sustain but also consolidate the processes which are considered integral to the meaningful participation of the demos. What is significant here is to underline the idea that the voice of the participants is required to be institutionalized through various structural means, supportive of democracy which is both a structure of governance and also a mode of articulating diverse perspectives for a common cause. Localizing governance through effective participation, the argument goes, makes democracy vibrant and people-centric. History does not seem to be always kind to those arguing against the centralization of authority; nonetheless, the literature is quite rich and multi-dimensional given the fact that efforts are continuously being made towards realizing the goal in diverse socio-economic circumstances. Critical here is the fact that the idea of localizing governance remains paramount in the search for an appropriate form of governance which is structurally equipped to address common concerns and also ideologically stable to remain viable in the midst of threats and challenges. Important here is another idea: that localizing governance is not an event, but a process that matures with the passage of time. What it refers to is the understanding that an expansive governance – in the sense of being spread-out to accommodate the stakeholders 2– needs constant nurturing with adequate institutional back-up to make the demos aware of their importance in sustaining the system, striving to realize grassroots-democracy in spirit and content. There are, therefore, three major components which need to be dialectically interconnected to create and also sustain the momentum for participatory governance: first, the demos not merely as stakeholders but also as supportive of a mindset endorsing decentring of authority; second, the grounding of the idea of localizing governance in a propitious socio-economic milieu; and, third, the proactive ideological forces which are intimately involved in struggles for participatory governance. In other words, a creative combination of context, mindset and forces for change holds the key to localizing governance.
