Original scientific paper
Local Co-Governance: An Exploratory Study on the Third Sector’s Artificial Autonomy
Filipe Teles
; Department of Social, Political and Territorial Sciences, Research Unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policy, University of Aveiro, Portugal
Abstract
Local governments are increasingly seen as key facilitators
of co-governance processes, enabling collaborative local
networks. It is claimed in this article that the necessarily
synergistic relationship between local government and civil
society in facilitating governance mechanisms requires further
elaboration. The issue of who initiates grassroots governance
and how autonomous from political power it really
is, is seminal to the definition of governance itself. Literature
on co-governance lacks the recognition of the impacts
of institutional incentives to civic participation, which may
not always have the desired effects. This article intends to
weigh up the autonomy of grassroots governance and the
extent to which it corresponds to a mechanism of shared
responsibilities. Through the analysis of data from Portuguese
municipalities, it contributes to a wider discussion
on the nature and distinctiveness of grassroots governance,arguing that it may add new problems to the research agenda
and asking for new approaches.
Keywords
local government; local co-governance; third sector; civil society
Hrčak ID:
130549
URI
Publication date:
15.9.2013.
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