AdCap4GoodGov

Capacity building has played an essential role in the development of member states, special funding being allocated by the EU particularly for this goal. Local government administrative capacity is extremely important when addressing major reforms like decentralization or territorial reorganisation, but it is just as important in evaluating public service provision, especially when addressing the essential services that are vital to citizens’ daily lives. In this context, it is important to see how administrative capacity is evaluated and how central/regional authorities can guide interventions exactly where they are needed in order to reduce disparities and improve service provision for the ultimate benefit of citizens. A special focus should also be placed on how local governments can tackle and build capacity and what administrative capacity elements they include in their strategies.
The project is centred around administrative capacity—how is it addressed by the local governments in their programmatic documents and what are the elements they should have in mind in order to maximise the achievement of the objectives set through these documents. Furthermore, administrative capacity of local authorities is also looked at from the central government’s perspective, as the regulator of the framework in which local administrations operate, with the clear aim of assessing it in order to identify regional disparities and estimate the interventions required for their reduction, as well as ensure better funding allocation.
Capitalising on good practice examples in terms of capacity building and capacity evaluation will give partners—national, regional and local level representatives – new tools to maximise their efforts for the final benefit of the citizens they serve. A particular focus will be given to one of the administrative capacity elements—the human resources component—and, with the help of our MA partner, funding for its training will be better allocated.