Local governance and democracy in Honduras : overcoming traditional forms of governing through the creation of citizen committees

Abstract

The present Master's Thesis aims to assess the importance of fostering a transition from government to governance, particular at the local level. In particular this thesis argues that especially in a country like Honduras where democracy is fragile, local governance can constitute an enabling environment in which citizens can be the ‘shapers’ of their society and local governance structures establish foundations for the development of a democratic society and state, based on respect and the promotion of human rights. Thus, by means of a study of literature, questioning quantitative data and a qualitative analysis based on a case study of citizen committees in the municipality of Santa Rosa de Copán in Honduras, this thesis provides an illustrative example of the positive impact of local governance in terms of development, respect for human rights, transparency, accountability and democracy. Furthermore, this research reveals that there are more significant issues that ought to be considered than just the mere establishment of participatory spaces, in order to construct genuine local governance. It is expected that the findings will provide the actors involved with useful information to assess their performance in search for improvement. Moreover, it can serve as a reference to other local governments and civil society organisations to start taking steps towards governance