Municipal Governance Scorecard for Local Democracy

A workshop will be organised to share and promote the Municipalitiy Governance Scorecard Model, developed by Argüden Governance Academy, for improving local good governance. The target group includes NGOs, citizens and municipalities in the Marmara region and Turkey in general. The main objective of the Model is to promote democratic municipal governance and active citizenship. To achieve this end, the model was developed for self-assessment, best practice examples collected for peer-learning, and a guide prepared for practical direction in improving governance at critical municipal policy processes, such as decision-making, resource utilization, service provision, and institutional capacity development. It consists of 227 measurable indicators along the seven principles of democratic governance: consistency/coherence, responsibility, accountability, fairness, transparency, effectiveness and deployment/participation (CRAFTED). Evidence for application of these principles was researched at each municipal policy stages such as decision-making, resource utilization, service provision and institutional capacity development. Another novice perspective was considered within the model: the presence of a continuous learning environment within the organization for each stage. The model is citizen-centric and based on online data collection from municipal web sites, online available documents, and the data acquired from the municipalities through the “right to information” exercise which was conducted in collaboration with the Sabanc? University. The project scope covered 37 district municipalities in Istanbul. A Governance Scorecard is prepared for each district municipality. These scorecards will be shared along with the overall assessment, a collection good examples for peer-learning, and actionable proposals for different stakeholders in a Guide. Apart from awareness-raising, the results are expected to stimulate self-assessment and continuous improvement for democratic governance among district municipalities both in Istanbul and Türkiye. In the world, there are numerous attempts aiming at furthering democratic local governance with similar objectives. Our approach is in conformity with these internationally accepted norms and principles. Yet, its scope, depth, and objective measurable indicators make it exemplary. Additionally, although it was primarily applied for the Turkish context, it is also well suited to be used in at different national contexts and can be utilized as a benchmark for the international community. Türkiye is interesting case for international learning due to its unique qualities, history, and relations with the neighbouring countries. Therefore, we aim to draw out as much as possible lessons and insights from Türkiye to contribute towards global learning for international institutions, transnational networks, national and local authorities. The project received international attraction, from institutions such as the World Bank, OECD, and the United Nations and promoted as a best practice. Also, the Council of Europe officials found the model most comprehensive and detailed local governance measurement approach.. The diffusion activities of the project is still continues both domestically and internationally in order to contribute towards for the development of good governance and sustainable development across the borders. The workshop will be held in the European Local Democracy Week with a view to contribute towards the advancement of local democracy, good governance and active citizenship in Turkey. At the Workshop, the Model, its value and use will be shared with the participants. It is expected that the participants will put the Model in practice which will enhance local democratic practices at municipalities.