Monitoring and reporting system for municipal sustainable development governance in Latvia: sustainability outlook

Abstract

Saulkrasti municipality is the first in Latvia local authority where a sustainable development planning and its governance performance success measurements have been completed, based on sustainability indicators, realised in the frame of research-and-development project. The overall aim was to study municipal sustainable development governance process cycle performance qualities and quantities, including social-ecological system studies, planning process, produced documents and their implementation studies as well as studies of construction and testing of necessary IS. The following research methods were complementary used: case study research; approbation research; expert interviews. The data and information basis of measurements were collected using official statistics; information of municipal institutions and enterprises; also private business; inhabitants survey and public monitoring. Monitoring and measurements were based on application of the set of 64 indicators, a comprehensive indicator system (IS), that has been approved and included as an integral part of a mandatory municipal long-term planning document - Sustainable Development Strategy (2013). Weaknesses identified during the first cycle of the full approbation of this existing IS, are revised in the new post-monitoring version of it. Results of the measurements are reflected in the new type of municipal governance document named as municipal Sustainability Outlook - Municipal Sustainable Development Governance Survey. This document is meant to support strategic decision-making and provide municipal collaborative communication with all stakeholders' groups, and, particularly, general society, including also public participation. Sustainability Outlook report is a generalized overview of indicators measurements and their interpretations, which reflects sustainable development governance success by: thematic groups of indicators, sustainability dimensions, mandatory including also governance, in the territory in general. The IS functionally is an essential instrument, being a part of the necessary eventual municipal monitoring program, which are to be developed in the both, general and also in thematic/sectoral development areas (like coastal governance or tourism etc.) of municipality. There would be necessary to comprehend all new and existing IS in planning regions of the country and at the national governance level, in order to form harmonious vertically and horizontally integrated common National indicator system's network, also aiming to involve the public more widely in the local sustainable development aiming process and its governance measurements and evaluation. Importantly, in this way to make the introduction and use of such IS at municipal level in the future simpler and cheaper. Respectively, developed with certain regularity municipal sustainability report, may become an effective municipal governance instrument for the assessment of implementation of different planning documents and general performance of development governance in each local territory, within context of wider public needs and public participation.