Thesis (D. Bus. Adm.)--University of Oklahoma, 1971. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 418-441).

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1985. / Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Maryland, College Park, 2006. / Thesis research directed by: Public Affairs. Title from t.p. of PDF. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--Ankara University. / Summary in English: p. 141-143. Includes bibliographical references (p. 127-136).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Maryland, College Park, 2006. / Thesis research directed by: Public Affairs. Title from t.p. of PDF. Includes bibliographical references. Published by UMI Dissertation Services, Ann Arbor, Mich. Also available in paper.

For many decades in India, natural resource management (NRM) programs were implemented by government bureaucracies in a centralized, top-down manner. The programs were unsustainable and suffered from resource use inefficiency and inequity. In the 1990s, under pressure from civil society organizations and multilateral agencies, the Government of India and many State Governments introduced policies that decentralized NRM programs and mandated active participation of users in the management of resources. When implementation responsibilities were transferred to resource user-groups many of the problems associated with centralization could be reduced significantly. However, despite their proven capacity of being better resource managers than government agencies, the user-groups encountered difficulties as self-governed people's organizations. Participation of users declined and problems of equity resurfaced in many user-groups. This dissertation describes the research that examines the causes of problems in the governance of user-groups in villages of Mehsana District in Gujarat. Using an eight-fold criteria of good governance, the study looks at eight Water Users Associations (WUAs) that took over irrigation management responsibilities from the Irrigation Department. This program of decentralization of irrigation is called Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM). The assessment of each WUA on each of the eight criteria reveals a close link between characteristics of good governance and the process of democratization. It can be seen that the WUAs that performed well on participation, equity, transparency, accountability, rule of law and consensus-orientation were less likely to face situations of dysfunction than the WUAs that performed poorly on these criteria. These criteria for good governance are also the core elements of democratic governance. At the same time, the case-studies reveal the tension between the democratization process that is attempted within the WUAs and the historical and cultural legacy of the feudal, autocratic and patriarchal society that rural India has been for many centuries. The thesis supports the argument, with empirical evidence, that the decentralization process can be sustainable only when user-groups institutionalize democratic processes and the early leaders behave in a democratic manner. It also suggests that the transition from an undemocratic institution to a democratic one can be enabled when external support agencies play an important catalytic role. / Science, Faculty of / Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES), Institute for / Graduate

Magister Artium - MA / This research measured the impact of decentralisation on the promotion of good local governance in the Lilongwe District Assembly. The study explored the condition of local governance by examining the status of the facets that underpin local governance namely participation, transparency and accountability, gender equity and efficiency. It highlighted dilemmas associated with implementing decentralisation in areas where there are no functioning local institutions and where tendencies of centralisation still loom large. / South Africa

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / It was the purpose of this study to demonstrate that the government of Namibia has been seeking to adopt structures and procedures that will contribute to the realization of general national development. Decentralization in any country takes place in a political context and its implementation assumes some political significance, as it is not merely a matter of centralization or decentralization of government functions and procedures, but both centralization and decentralization tendencies exist and reinforce each other in practice. This study argues that the dynamic features of decentralization and its implementation in Namibia have been shaped by central government's view, through the ministry of regional and local government and housing, of the concept decentralization. The objectives of this study were to provide a critical understanding of the theoretical foundation of the concept decentralization. / South Africa

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / The main objective of this study was to examine how the process of decentralization has affected the rendering of essential services in Namibia, through a case study of the Hardap Region. The main aim of this research was to determine the extent to which the objectives of the decentralization policy have been achieved by the Hardap Regional Council. The main objectives of the decentralization policy of the Namibian Government were to extend, enhance and guarantee participatory democracy and to safeguard rapid sustainable development. / South Africa

Cieľom tejto práce je navrhnúť platformu na spracovanie a preskúmavanie blockchainu vybraných kryptomien pri použití IPFS. Na riešenie tohoto problému bolo potrobné navrhnúť vlastný decentralizovaný a distribuovaný databázový systém, ktorý podporuje pokročilé dotazy. Vytvorené riešenie poskytuje prehľadné grafické užívateľské rozhranie, ktoré slúži na vizualizáciu dát a taktiež API, vďaka ktorému sa dá systém jednoducho napojiť na iné aplikácie. Prínosom tejto práce je nový pohľad na zpracovávanie blockchainu čo otvára nové možnosti v~jeho prehľadávaní.