GOLD I Report

Decentralization and local democracy in the world”, the first Global Report on Local Democracy and Decentralization (GOLD I), was published in 2008.

The report provides a snapshot of the state of local democracy and decentralization in the mid-2000s, against which future advances and setback can be measured.

GOLD I argues that the world is undergoing a quiet democratic revolution, with local democracy gaining momentum from the highlands of Latin America to the barangay in the Philippines.

It analyzes local authorities in each continent under three main themes:(i) the evolution of territorial structures; (ii) responsibilities and power, management and finances; and (iii) local democracy.

An additional chapter is dedicated to the governance of large metropolises, where rapid growth presents major challenges, in particular in the fast developing countries of the global South.