The ICMA Study Tour: Bringing the World of Local Government Management to our Members

2006 India Study Tour

Nowhere in the world is there such a great contrast.   It is at once the largest democracy in the world, but at the same time governed by a rigid and oftentimes ineffective bureaucracy.   Many citizens are well-educated and their ability to benefit from globalization is undeniable, yet most citizens are illiterate.  Over 200 million people are now members of an expanding middle class, while two-thirds of the 1 billion citizens of India live on less than $1 a day.

Like here in the U.S., cities in India face daunting challenges.   Even as quality of life measures are deteriorating in large cities, the national economy depends on the productivity of urban areas.  Cities must simultaneously cope with increased populations, plan and provide services for their citizens, mobilize resources to meet their infrastructure needs, preserve the environment, and attract private sector investment. 

Unlike in the U.S., while strides have been made to delegate primary responsibility for urban management to local governments, the reality is that state governments have not yet developed the necessary administrative structures to support the responsibility that urban local governments in India have inherited.  As a result, much of the power and financial resources that should be with local governments remain at the state level.

At the same time, there is an imperative to professionalize local governments in India and to articulate city governments’ concerns to higher levels of government.  Urban local bodies do not have the expertise to address the enormous and complex urban problems, nor do they have ready access to information about local government innovations in India or internationally.

It is amid the remarkably complex and fascinating changes India is facing that ICMA International invites our members on a ten day study tour.  The study-tour will give participants the opportunity to explore the world of local government outside their own cities and counties, and will introduce them to number local governance issues presently facing local government officials in some of the largest and fastest growing cities in the world. 

Enroll now!  Space is limited on a first come first served basis.  Register on or before August 15 and recieve a $300 discount!    

For more information and to register for the study tour, please visit: http://icma.org/2006indiastudytour or contact Andrew Haugen at ahaugen@icma.org, 202-962-3527.