Abstract

The research focuses on the applications of local good governance (LGG) in decentralized commune development planning in . The main objectives are to study the institutional framework and mechanism of LGG application in CDPs; to examine the applications of LGG in the implementation of CDPs; to gain the perception and satisfaction of CCs members and local people on the application of LGGs in the CDPs; to analyze facilitating and constraining factors in the application of LGG in CDPs and to suggest recommendations to strengthen LGG performance for effective implementation of the CDPs and provide planning and policy implications.

Royal Government of Cambodia launched its formal decentralization policy in 2002, while communes of a few were piloted since 1996. There were a number of policies and development plans developed in order to support decentralized level (CCs), and LGG was a part of these.

Two communes namely and communes in province, which were experienced decentralized policy since 1996 and 2002 respectively were purposively selected for this research. Six elements of LGG including rule of law, participation, accountability, transparency, responsiveness, and effectiveness and efficiency were covered in this research. Standardized questionnaires were developed for 60 CCs and committees, and 110 sampled households, checklists were used for focus group discussion, key informants interview, observation and case studies on CDP projects. Secondary data including laws, policies and plans, sub-decree, declaration and manuals were collected from NCDD of MoI, MoP and development agencies. Both quantitative and qualitative techniques were used in this research.

There were institutional and mechanisms on enforcing and supporting LGG in CDPs at decentralized level, which defined by regulations, laws, sub-decrees, decisions, guidelines and manuals. Nonetheless, LGG in CDPs was not adopted. Although LGG elements were introduced to CCs, these were broad indicators. Significant findings of the research found that commune with relative longer working experience, through understanding and learning process, which enabled them to modify LGG in CDP, had achieved better performance on several key elements of LGG than the other one that had relatively shorter working experience. In comparative study, it shows that the better performance in LGG brought the higher level of satisfaction in CDPs by both CCs and sampled households. The performance in LGG in CDPs is determined by various institutional, economic and social factors.

Research concluded that commune with higher achievements on the applications of LGG in CDPs is the one that had relatively longer experience in working and accumulating learning process in adjustments of LGG in the CDP and also capacity of the CCs on local planning. A set of recommendations were given to strengthen the LGG in specific development stages of CDPs as well as outlining key planning and policy implications to support the overall implementation to make it more effective in the context of Cambodia.