Types of informal local governance institutions

‘Informal local governance Institutions’ play an important role in local governance in many developing countries. In poorer countries the state machinery is often less widespread and may not penetrate up to the local level. In such instances, the relationship between state organisations and citizens is more likely to be mediated by informal local governance institutions.

Prevalence

A range of Informal local governance institutions exist in many developing countries. Examples include traditional chiefs and authorities in Africa; Ayllus (indigenous communities) in Bolivia; comunidades campesinas (the official term used for indigenous communities) in Peru; Chiefdoms in Polynesia and Melanesia in the Pacific Islands; caste, tribal and village panchayats in India; Shamaj and Shalishs in Bangaladesh ; Maliks and biradari networks in Pakistan; Adats in Bali, Indonesia; village temple groups and lineage based institutions in China, traditional Pagoda association in Cambodia and so on.

Nature

Informal institutions are difficult to categorise as they are shaped by specific colonial and regional histories. However there are some common features that identify them as ILGIs. The key characteristic features that are common to these ILGIs are: 

• they are rooted in traditions, norms and customs where legitimacy is derived from the status based on predetermined factors such as age, sex, or identity group
  
• they exercise territorial control either over a natural village or settlements where the tribes or clans are spread
  
• they are longstanding
  
• they continue to perform governance function at the local level
  
• they exhibit caste or ethnic and gender monopolies

Recognition by the state

Informal institutions differ from each other in the extent of recognition that they enjoy from the state. Some of them, like the traditional authorities found in many African countries, have a formal dimension, in that they are

• recognised by formal state institutions
  
• have authority in some domains - such as land allocation, traditional courts and customary justice

Some ILGIs are informal in the sense of being in no way recognised by the state or in state law. Their authority is accepted by state agencies only in very specific contexts. For instance while caste and village panchayats in India are not recognised by the state, tribal councils are recognised by the Constitution. Adats in Bali, Indonesia have gone through the process of being recognised, de-recognised and re-recognised under different regimes. In South Asia, while most ILGIs tend to fall outside the mechanisms of the formal state, some like shalishis in Bangladesh are given limited authority over justice dispensation.