Report on the seminar ” Local Government & Civil Society

Date : 26.10 – 02.11.2008

Participant: Ms. Asma Asfour – Elected member of Sinjel local council

Seminar Report:

The course was held in two phases during 2008. The online phase and the phase held in Germany.

The online phase was also held in three stages that included the discussion of many aspects of local government and civic society like liberalism, centralization and decentralization, civic society, and other related topics. The participants were asked to respond on the topics in the forum. The online phase was a preparatory stage to the second phase which was practical in many aspects. At some point, participants were divided into groups according to their regions.

The course in its two phases includes many topics as:

1. The prerequisites for a functional local government
2. New public management, lean state, and lean government
3. Model of control, reflection of practical experience
4. Privatization and competition
5. Improvement of local government
6. Decentralization, privatization and new public management
7. Means of local government funding
8. Main problems of local government in Germany and possible solutions
9. Actors in local politics
10. Main challenges and problems in local development
11. Impact of liberalism on local government
12. Civil society in participant countries and possibilities of civil participation.

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Many methodological approaches were followed to present the content of the course:

1. Discussion: all main topics were discussed in details by the participants under the supervision of the moderators.
2. Presentation: presentations related to the main topics in the context of Germany were introduced by the moderatos then discussed by the participants in respect with their countries. All participants were asked to prepare two presentations before they come to Germany. One is an individual work stating main facts about the country the participants represent, and the other presentation is a group work that talks about liberal movements in the region. Presentations by the participants were introduced in the context of their countries.

1. Field visits: During our stay at Germany, participants visited the mayor of town of Wemelskirchen, and Association of liberal local politicians VLK.

1. Models of control, actual experiences: Mayor of the town of Huckeswagen was invited to meet the participants in the academy.

1. Group work: during the second phase, many group works were held. Some are:
   1. Regional political analysis
   2. Town council meeting
   3. Funding options for local government in participating countries
   4. The influence of actors in local politics and their role
   5. Main challenges and problems in local development
   6. Civic society in participating countries

Participants were asked to work in the groups to respond on the topics and cases introduced in respect with the countries or regions they represent.

What I have learnt

1. During the discussions, ideas and experiences were exchanged enriching my experience of how can one deal with terms such as decentralization and liberalism at my local context. It showed me that there are many alternatives that could replace the ones we use now in Palestine in local government. If I didn’t attend the course, it might need me more than five years to learn what I have learnt there.
2. Liberalism was not a new topic for me but it was a chance to relate it to local government and civic society in Palestine. It was a motive for me to read more about liberalism.
3. I learnt also ways of practicing pressure to highlight an issue and implement it. Case studies helped me a lot in that. Some participants were too professional in the field of local government which was a great help for me to ask and see how I can overcome some obstacles that I face now as a liberal female in Palestine.
4. The most useful topic for me was funding local government. It was really beneficial to see how other countries work to fund their local government. The discussion of fees and taxes was also useful for me as it was for most of the participants. In our local municipality of Sinjel where I work, we went through many discussions whenever we wanted to issue the yearly budget. Now, I can introduce the idea of fees to resolve many of the dilemmas faced us in our decision making.

Some points to consider:

1. Time limits for comments by participants in each participation should be considered. Some comments were too long that participants could not follow on.
2. Theoretical material about liberalism in local government is needed. More readings about the topics introduced are needed to widen the understanding of the topic.
3. Participants need to read a short review about local government in participating countries before the seminar in Germany so they get more involved.
4. Cases related to participating countries problems are largely needed.
5. Some topics were really challenging at the beginning of the discussions. Mediators help are appreciated at that point.