Engaging Citizens in Jordan’s Local Government Needs Assessment Process
Jordan is undertaking ambitious decentralization reforms to place citizens at the heart of local policies and services. This review analyses the main gaps in the current needs assessment process, which aims to mainstream a participatory approach for the design of local development plans and budgetary allocations through a yearly collection and assessment of citizens’ needs. It provides actionable recommendations to strengthen the governance of this process, foster two-way communication and promote stakeholder participation at all stages of the policymaking cycle. The report accompanies the document “Supporting Open Government at the Local Level in Jordan” that aims to equip subnational public officials with the relevant knowledge and skills to mainstream transparency, integrity, accountability, and stakeholder participation into the functioning and machinery of local administrations.
Decentralization in Jordan: Context and background
This chapter will reflect on the conditions under which Jordan’s decentralization reform efforts arose, the issues shaping its pace and scale, and its potential to support the further opening of the government. It will do so by outlining the role of open government as an instrument to streamline the principles of transparency, integrity, accountability and stakeholder participation at the local level in the country. The chapter will also explore the contextual factors influencing the implementation of decentralization in Jordan, as well as its main tenants and progress achieved to date. It will conclude with an outline of the methodology of this report.