Strengthening Democratic Local Governance

On 28 September 2026, Global Cities Hub (GCH) hosted the webinar Why Local Democracy Matters for a More Prosperous World, bringing together experts from international organizations, development cooperation and public policy to discuss how democratic local governance can contribute to stronger, more prosperous and inclusive societies. The discussion was based on GCH’s new publication Strengthening Democratic Local Governance to Advance Human Prosperity, authored by Susan Jay, which explores the relationship between local democracy, accountability and human well-being.

The webinar featured Susan Jay, author of the publication, alongside Benoît Meyer-Bisch of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and Paul Costello of the German Marshall Fund (GMF). Together, the panel explored the relationship between democratic local governance and prosperity, discussing themes such as decentralization, citizen participation, accountability, inclusion and the relationship between national and local institutions. The speakers agreed that solutions are often most effective when they are rooted in local realities. “Local democratic governance is the strongest source of democratic resilience.” Using examples from development cooperation and local policy-making, the panel highlighted the importance of adapting approaches to local contexts rather than relying solely on top-down models, ensuring that policies respond to the needs, priorities and capacities of local communities.

A key takeaway from the discussion was that democratic local governance is fundamentally about the relationship between citizens and government. Transparency, participation and accountability can help build trust, strengthen the legitimacy of public institutions and ensure that governments remain responsive to community needs. “We need to make local collaboration forms productive to prove the value of democracy. The feedback loop is very important.” As the level of government closest to people, local and regional governments are uniquely placed to foster this trust through meaningful engagement and effective public services.

Relevant links

• GCH’s new publication Strengthening Democratic Local Governance To Advance Human Prosperity
• Mongolia: E-voting on the Local Development Fund (LDF):
  • Long version
  • Short version
• SDC work on Working in Authoritarian Contexts
• SDC Thematic page on decentralisation & local Governance
• SDC Thematic page on cross-cutting Governance (update to be available at the end of 2026)
• SDC’s overall Guidance on Governance
• Overall evaluation of all SDC’s Governance work for the past 10 years
• DeCoDe project in Switzerland

📹 Watch the recording of the event

📸 Rama, CC BY-SA 2.0 FR, via Wikimedia Commons