Editing Local government (section)

{{short description|Lowest in the administration pyramid}}{{Merge from|Municipal council|date=April 2025}}{{Original research|date=January 2011}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Forms of government}}
{{Governance}}
[[File:Jyväskylä city council 1925.jpg|thumb|250px|Meeting of [[Jyväskylä]]'s [[city council]] in 1925]]
'''Local government''' is a generic term for the lowest tiers of [[governance]] or [[public administration]] within a particular [[sovereign state]].

Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such as a nation or state. Local governments generally act within the powers and functions assigned to them by law or directives of a higher level of government. In [[Federation|federal states]], local government generally comprises a third or fourth level of government, whereas in [[unitary state]]s, local government usually occupies the second or third level of government.

The institutions of local government vary greatly between countries, and even where similar arrangements exist, country-specific terminology often varies. Common designated names for different types of local government entities include [[county|counties]], [[district]]s, [[city|cities]], [[township]]s, [[town]]s, [[borough]]s, [[Parish (administrative division)|parishes]], [[municipality|municipalities]], [[municipal corporation]]s, [[shire]]s, [[village]]s, and [[local government area]]s. The same term may be used in different countries to refer to local governance institutions with vastly different institutional features, powers, or functions.

In addition to general-purpose local governments, some countries have special-purpose local governments ([[Special district (United States)|special districts]]), such as independent [[school district]]s, elected [[Water board (Netherlands)|water boards]], or [[Local service district (disambiguation)|local service district]]s.

Although there is no single, commonly accepted definition of the term, the most precise definition of local governments is provided by the [[International Monetary Fund|International Monetary Fund (IMF)]], which divides the general government sector into three sub-sectors ([[central government|central]], [[State government|state]], and local government)<ref>{{Cite web |last=International Monetary Fund |date=2009 |title=System of National Accounts 2008 |url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/nationalaccount/docs/SNA2008.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240114154926/https://unstats.un.org/unsd/nationalaccount/docs/SNA2008.pdf |archive-date= Jan 14, 2024 }}</ref> and defines local governments as "institutional units whose fiscal, legislative, and executive authority extends over the smallest geographical areas distinguished for administrative and political purposes."<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=International Monetary Fund |date=2014 |title=Government Finance Statistics Manual 2014 |url=https://www.imf.org/external/Pubs/FT/GFS/Manual/2014/gfsfinal.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240126081641/https://www.imf.org/external/Pubs/FT/GFS/Manual/2014/gfsfinal.pdf |archive-date= Jan 26, 2024 }}</ref>

The IMF further notes that local governments "typically provide a wide range of services to local residents," while "the scope of their authority is generally much less than that of central government or state governments, and they may or may not be entitled to levy taxes." They are often heavily dependent on grants (transfers) from higher levels of government, and they may also act, to some extent, as agents of central or regional governments. They should also be able to appoint their own officers, independently of external administrative control. Even when local governments act as agents of central or state governments to some extent, they can be treated as a separate level of government, provided they are also able to raise and spend some funds on their own initiative and own responsibility."<ref name=":2" />

Other definitions for local governments are less prescriptive and emphasize the political or representative nature of local governments. For instance, OECD defines local governments as "decentralized entities whose governance bodies are elected through universal suffrage and which has general responsibilities and some autonomy with respect to budget, staff and assets."<ref>{{Cite web |last=OECD/UCLG |date=2016 |title=Subnational Governments around the world: Structure and finance. |url=https://www.sng-wofi.org/reports/Subnational-Governments-Around-the-World-%20Part-I.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231116132110/https://www.sng-wofi.org/reports/Subnational-Governments-Around-the-World-%20Part-I.pdf |archive-date= Nov 16, 2023 }}</ref> The Local Public Sector Alliance defines local government institutions as "a corporate body (or institutional unit) that performs one or more public sector functions within a [local] jurisdiction that has adequate political, administrative, and fiscal autonomy and authority to respond to the needs and priorities of its constituents".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Local Public Sector Alliance |date=September 2023 |title=Guidance Note: Preparing a LoGICA Intergovernmental Profile |url=https://decentralization.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/LoGICA_IGP2023Rev2.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101201153/https://decentralization.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/LoGICA_IGP2023Rev2.pdf |archive-date= Nov 1, 2023 }}</ref>

Questions regarding the empowerment of local government institutions, the structure and nature of local political leadership, and the extent of local [[self-governance]] and [[municipal autonomy]] are key questions of public administration and governance. [[Local election]]s are held in many countries.

{{toclimit|2}}