Briefing Paper 2. Can locally-developed indicators catalyse more responsive local government? Findings from the research

In 2014, the University of Mzumbe, in partnership with INTRAC and the Foundation for Civil Society (FCS) set out to research the viability and value of creating a local governance performance index (LGPI) at the district level in Tanzania. This briefing paper summarises the process of identifying and refining a set of indicators which were used to generate baseline data for subsequent use in the participating districts of Mvomero and Kigoma-Ujiji.

Key Messages

• A LGPI offers potential as a problem-solving tool for different actors to work together on local issues, overcoming weaknesses in many existing accountability initiatives
• A facilitated process – grounded in political and structural realities rather than theories – to explore perceptions between citizens, civil society, politicians and civil servants might strengthen the prospects for more responsive local government
• The use of the indicators should be embedded in local practice in these two districts to test further the potential of this process, then their use should be reviewed over time to test its impact

This paper has been produced in the framework of the project Holding local government to account: Can a performance index provide meaningful accountability?