The Jamaican Local Government Reform (LGR) process plays a lead role in advancing local governance in the Caribbean, including redefining concepts of local governance/democracy and inter-governmental relations. Valuable contributions have been made by several scholars in analyzing this process and examining several dimensions of local governance reform, including its impact on key issues such as citizen/community empowerment, as well as evaluating success in realizing its targeted outcomes. A brief commentary on LGR in Jamaica will be undertaken, from the unique view-point of the author.

However, the significance of local governance reform in Jamaica, beyond its direct impact on creating a strong and vibrant system for local self-management and facilitating the active participation of civil society and communities in the governance and development processes, will be the main focus of the Paper. It will present, among other arguments, the proposition that the process through which these reforms have been pursued is at least as important as the actual reforms being undertaken.

Critical issues to be examined include the assertion that existing political culture, practice and reality in the Caribbean oftentimes see governing and opposition parties adopting positions in respect of important policy issues that are influenced more by considerations of political advantage/manoeuvring rather than the broader national interest. The claim that policy formulation and decision-making processes that involve broad participation of a range of social partners provide a more favourable environment for avoiding narrow partisan grand-standing, and is therefore more conducive to achieving far reaching political and governance reforms such as those in respect of local governance, will be explored. The relative merits of bi-partisan vs. multi-partner approaches will also be examined. The case of Jamaica, particularly the relative success achieved in this round of LGR vs. the fate that had befallen all previous such attempts, as well as experiences from other Caribbean states that have engaged in some form of local governance reform over the past 2 decades, will be drawn on to support the arguments advanced.

LGR as a powerful vehicle for social and political transformation in the region, including addressing critical issues such as constitutional reform, nation-building and defining national development in the context of a distinct Caribbean civilization, will also be explored.

The research methodology will include review of the relevant literature; undertaking secondary research to support the positions advanced in the paper; interviews of selected persons; and observations in respect of ongoing reform processes in the region.

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