Local Economic Development: Looking at Experience Relevant to Low Income Countries

The purpose of this website to share the findings from a series of research activities initiated by the World Bank and funded through the Bank-Netherlands Partnership Program (BNPP).

The research is titled Evaluating and Disseminating Experiences in Local Economic Development.

The overall objective of the research was to identify Local Economic Development (LED) lessons and examples that have relevance to low-income developing countries, particularly to countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The research aimed to: (i) Provide the context for considering LED as a viable economic option, particularly for local government; (ii) Provide an overview of relevant LED initiatives and the principles that guide them; (iii) Evaluate, to the extent possible, the success and cost-effectiveness of programs; (iv) Extract lessons and examples to support knowledge development and dissemination across countries.

Several separate, but related, studies were conducted:

1.  LED as an alternative approach to economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa.

From a development perspective, is Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) different?
Does it require ‘exceptional’ solutions to its development problems?

This report sets out to prove whether SSA is different – and in view of the outcome – whether a standard development tool increasingly applied throughout the developed and developing world, such as Local Economic Development (LED), could serve as a complement or as an alternative to economic development . 

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(includes a short summary, the full report and bibliography)

2.  Investigating Pro-Poor LED in South Africa.

What are the lessons that can be learned from the South African experience?

The research team seeks to establish the role that local governments are playing to support pro-poor LED in South African cities, towns and rural areas. Eight case studies offer detailed insight into LED strategies that have been (or are being) implemented in various sized municipalities.

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(includes a short summary, the full report and bibliography)

3.  Evaluation of LED in two Free State Integrated Development Plans.

This paper aims to assess the degree to which the components of the Rural Economic and Enterprise Development (REED) framework have been incorporated into integrated development planning (IDP) or into strategic local economic development (LED) plans. The paper also provides an evaluation of two local municipal level IDPs in the Free State, Republic of South Africa.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION

• The World Bank LED website (www.worldbank.org/urban/led) offers considerable information including case studies from throughout the world. Access the LED site through the Urban page.
• This DIFID site (www.livelihoods.org/hot_topics/UrbanRural.html#4) shares knowledge, experiences and lessons in relation to urban and rural development (including LED).
• The South Africa Cities Network (www.sacities.net) is an established network of South African cities and partners that encourages the exchange of information, experience and best practices on urban development and city management.
• ALGAF (www.mdpafrica.org.zw/ALGAF.htm) is a joint initiative of the Municipal Development Partnership for Eastern and Southern Africa, the World Bank Institute, the Global Distance Learning Network in seven African countries and the Global Distance Learning Centre in Washington. Session materials (including several presentations on LED) are accessible through this site.