Photo Credit: USAID/Albania

Local Government and Decentralization in Albania (LGDA)

Duration: July 2004 - July 2007 (closed)

Partners: Urban Institute  
               Institute for Development Research Alternatives (IDRA)

Geographic Focus: National

Description:
Albania’s decentralization laws have begun to yield local governments that function independently of the central government, but authority remains overwhelmingly concentrated in the central government, while local service coverage is still spotty and weak. USAID seeks to consolidate decentralization by helping cities design sustainable management plans that yield higher quality services and by helping policymakers at all levels harmonize decentralization laws and regulations. Technical assistance is provided throughout the country to increase the fiscal autonomy and administrative capacity of local governments.

With regional offices in four Albanian cities, USAID and its partners can work directly with local governments through targeted training and technical assistance aimed at improving local service delivery based on priorities and budgets developed in response to local preferences. The project focuses on improvement of such essential services as water and wastewater facilities, garbage collection and disposal, street cleaning, educational facilities and roads. It also seeks to reduce corruption and increase opportunities for citizen participation in local governance.

The project provides support for legislative initiatives and local government activities that advance the decentralization process and increase the control of local government by local constituents, thus decreasing the control of central authorities. Local governments receive intensive training in the ability to respond to increased citizen involvement in governance issues in the spirit of a sustainable democracy. The program has been successful in ensuring that decentralization issues are discussed and debated among all stakeholders before a consensus is reached on what steps to take next.

Key Accomplishments:

Service Improvement: 

• USAID improved the quality and coverage of major city services including street repair, sidewalk maintenance, garbage collection and disposal, and green space maintenance in 23 municipalities through the introduction of Service Improvement Action Plans (SIAP) and other management best practices.
• USAID helped local governments assume the function bringing primary and secondary school facilities up to standards of safety and health.  USAID monitored and benchmarked this performance through the use of an annual local governance survey.

Decentralization:

• USAID sponsored the drafting with Albanian stakeholders of major components of the decentralization legal framework including the draft law on local borrowing (2006; expected to pass in 2007), the draft law on territorial planning (2007; expected to pass in 2007) and the local governance provisions of the draft law on the state budget (2006; expected to pass in 2007). 
• USAID expertise worked hand-in-hand with the Albanian central and local officials, the Association of Municipalities and others to ensure that the new laws achieve broad consensus, meet the international standards and can be implemented in Albanian context.