Includes bibliographical references, appendices and index.

Introduction : Better governance through better local governments -- I. Decentralization, devolution and development in the Philippines -- II. Local governance and NGOs in the Philippines : issues and concerns -- III. Global forces and local governments in the Philippines : challenges and responses -- IV. Doing things differently : innovations at the local level -- V. What makes excellent local leaders : The Local Government Leadership Award -- VI. Towards the development of indicators for good local governance -- Appendices -- A. Summary of issues and challenges in local governance -- B. Resource allocation imbalances under decentralization -- C. Federalism : the next logical step after devolution? D. Reflections after a four-year sojourn in the bureaucracy -- E. Respondents of governance questionnaire.