Assessing Stakeholder Perceptions on Local Governance: Evidence from Tikapur Municipality

Abstract

The current study assesses the stakeholders’ perceptions on local governance based on the evidence of Tikapur Municipality (TM) with reference to key dimensions of governance. In this regard, the focus was on accountability, transparency, law and policy implementation, stakeholder participation, public hearings/social audits, and anti-corruption mechanisms. The study adopted cross-sectional research design as data were collected from respondents   through a one-timed structured survey. The structured questionnaire was administered to survey the respondents to collect required data to fulfil the research objectives following purposive sampling strategy. The study population of the research were all the elected representatives of TM, bureaucrats, service receivers, and stakeholders of TM. Amongst them, 33 were selected as samples of the study based on purposive sampling. The findings reveal that the majority of respondents perceive TM as largely adhering to good governance principles, particularly in accountability, transparency, and stakeholder participation. The findings suggest that governance practices are generally positive, continuous institutional strengthening, participatory decision-making, and monitoring are essential to enhance the quality governance and increase satisfaction. Based on the insight from this study, the author would like to make recommendations such as improving feedback mechanisms, strengthening anti-corruption measures, ensuring consistent policy enforcement, and promoting citizen engagement in decision-making processes for improving governance.