The Asia Foundation

(Sinhala Version) This publication is intended to serve as a guide to clarify local government services provided by pradeshiya sabhas. It provides a detailed outline of the legalities, eligibility, fees, application process, timeline and recourse available for a broad range of pradeshyia sabha services. The results of a survey sponsored by The Asia Foundation indicated that information of this type was not readily available to the public in a simple and comprehensive manner. This Guide Book seeks to clarify step-by-step what is involved in obtaining a building permit, or the process of determining liability for and payment of the trade tax, for example. It seeks to inform members of the public and business community about the services, authority, and responsibilities of pradeshiya sabhas and their role in improving the conditions for economic growth and creating an enabling environment for small and medium enterprises to flourish in every pradeshiya sabha area in Sri Lanka. The Guide Book is available in English, Sinhala and Tamil.

This publication is intended to serve as a guide to clarify local government services provided by pradeshiya sabhas. It provides a detailed outline of the legalities, eligibility, fees, application process, timeline and recourse available for a broad range of pradeshyia sabha services. The results of a survey sponsored by The Asia Foundation indicated that information of this type was not readily available to the public in a simple and comprehensive manner. This Guide Book seeks to clarify step-by-step what is involved in obtaining a building permit, or the process of determining liability for and payment of the trade tax, for example. It seeks to inform members of the public and business community about the services, authority, and responsibilities of pradeshiya sabhas and their role in improving the conditions for economic growth and creating an enabling environment for small and medium enterprises to flourish in every pradeshiya sabha area in Sri Lanka. The Guide Book is available in English, Sinhala and Tamil.

This publication is intended to serve as a guide to clarify local government services provided by Urban Councils. It provides a detailed outline of the legalities, eligibility, fees, application process, timeline and recourse available for a broad range of Council services. The results of a survey sponsored by The Asia Foundation indicated that information of this type was not readily available to the public in a simple and comprehensive manner. This Guide Book seeks to clarify step-by-step what is involved in obtaining a building permit, or the process of determining liability for and payment of trade tax, for example. It seeks to inform members of the public and business community about the services, authority, and responsibilities of Urban Councils and their role in improving the conditions for economic growth and creating an enabling environment for small and medium enterprises to flourish in every Urban Council area in Sri Lanka. The Guide Book is available in English, Sinhala and Tamil.

(Sinhala Version) This publication is intended to serve as a guide to clarify local government services provided by Urban Councils. It provides a detailed outline of the legalities, eligibility, fees, application process, timeline and recourse available for a broad range of Council services. The results of a survey sponsored by The Asia Foundation indicated that information of this type was not readily available to the public in a simple and comprehensive manner. This Guide Book seeks to clarify step-by-step what is involved in obtaining a building permit, or the process of determining liability for and payment of trade tax, for example. It seeks to inform members of the public and business community about the services, authority, and responsibilities of Urban Councils and their role in improving the conditions for economic growth and creating an enabling environment for small and medium enterprises to flourish in every Urban Council area in Sri Lanka. The Guide Book is available in English, Sinhala and Tamil.

This publication is intended to serve as a guide to clarify local government services provided by Urban Councils. It provides a detailed outline of the legalities, eligibility, fees, application process, timeline and recourse available for a broad range of Council services. The results of a survey sponsored by The Asia Foundation indicated that information of this type was not readily available to the public in a simple and comprehensive manner. This Guide Book seeks to clarify step-by-step what is involved in obtaining a building permit, or the process of determining liability for and payment of trade tax, for example. It seeks to inform members of the public and business community about the services, authority, and responsibilities of Urban Councils and their role in improving the conditions for economic growth and creating an enabling environment for small and medium enterprises to flourish in every Urban Council area in Sri Lanka. The Guide Book is available in English, Sinhala and Tamil.

This publication is intended to serve as a guide to clarify local government services provided by Municipal Councils. It provides a detailed outline of the legalities, eligibility, fees, application process, timeline and recourse available for a broad range of Council services. The results of a survey sponsored by The Asia Foundation indicated that information of this type was not readily available to the public in a simple and comprehensive manner. This Guide Book seeks to clarify step-by-step what is involved in obtaining a building permit, or the process of determining liability for and payment of the trade tax, for example. It seeks to inform members of the public and business community about the services, authority, and responsibilities of Municipal Councils and their role in improving the conditions for economic growth and creating an enabling environment for small and medium enterprises to flourish in every Municipal Council area in Sri Lanka. The Guide Book is available in English, Sinhala and Tamil.

(Sinhala Version) This publication is intended to serve as a guide to clarify local government services provided by Municipal Councils. It provides a detailed outline of the legalities, eligibility, fees, application process, timeline and recourse available for a broad range of Council services. The results of a survey sponsored by The Asia Foundation indicated that information of this type was not readily available to the public in a simple and comprehensive manner. This Guide Book seeks to clarify step-by-step what is involved in obtaining a building permit, or the process of determining liability for and payment of the trade tax, for example. It seeks to inform members of the public and business community about the services, authority, and responsibilities of Municipal Councils and their role in improving the conditions for economic growth and creating an enabling environment for small and medium enterprises to flourish in every Municipal Council area in Sri Lanka. The Guide Book is available in English, Sinhala and Tamil.

This publication is intended to serve as a guide to clarify local government services provided by Municipal Councils. It provides a detailed outline of the legalities, eligibility, fees, application process, timeline and recourse available for a broad range of Council services. The results of a survey sponsored by The Asia Foundation indicated that information of this type was not readily available to the public in a simple and comprehensive manner. This Guide Book seeks to clarify step-by-step what is involved in obtaining a building permit, or the process of determining liability for and payment of the trade tax, for example. It seeks to inform members of the public and business community about the services, authority, and responsibilities of Municipal Councils and their role in improving the conditions for economic growth and creating an enabling environment for small and medium enterprises to flourish in every Municipal Council area in Sri Lanka. The Guide Book is available in English, Sinhala and Tamil.

THE EXPERIENCE OF THE ASIA FOUNDATION IN INDONESIA, CAMBODIA, VIETNAM, SRI LANKA, AND BANGLADESH

The Asia Foundation’s approach to effective economic governance builds on the knowledge that the engine for sustainable growth is the formal and informal MSME sector, the major source of employment for most countries in Asia. However, the growth and job-generation performance of MSMEs are often constrained by a wide spectrum of institutional obstacles. To address the constraints to MSME growth, the Foundation has developed specialized tools to analyze local business environments, measure the quality of local economic governance, assess progress through a set of quantitative and qualitative indicators, and support policy reforms. Local Economic Governance Indexes (EGIs), developed in collaboration with local and international partners, are one of these tools.

11x17 version.

The Asia Foundation’s approach to effective economic governance builds on the knowledge that the engine for sustainable growth is the formal and informal MSME sector, the major source of employment for most countries in Asia. However, the growth and job-generation performance of MSMEs are often constrained by a wide spectrum of institutional obstacles. To address the constraints to MSME growth, the Foundation has developed specialized tools to analyze local business environments, measure the quality of local economic governance, assess progress through a set of quantitative and qualitative indicators, and support policy reforms. Local Economic Governance Indexes (EGIs), developed in collaboration with local and international partners, are one of these tools.

Financial Management Training Modules: This series of four training modules is designed to provide the teaching and learning materials for training modules for LA officials in Financial Management. Each module kit contains printed resource material for trainers and participants, visual-aid material for trainers (such as power-point presentations on CD), learning exercises and simulations for trainers to use in workshops, and relevant computer software applications (such as Excel spreadsheets, on CD), to support a two-day workshop. Each module is available separately in Sinhala and Tamil from The Asia Foundation and the Sri Lanka Institute of Local Governance (SLILG).

• Module 1 – Financial Reporting and Cash Management
• Module 2 – Revenue Enhancement
• Module 3 – Grant Management and Donor Relations
• Module 4 – Office Management

Financial Management Training Modules: This series of four training modules is designed to provide the teaching and learning materials for training modules for LA officials in Financial Management. Each module kit contains printed resource material for trainers and participants, visual-aid material for trainers (such as power-point presentations on CD), learning exercises and simulations for trainers to use in workshops, and relevant computer software applications (such as Excel spreadsheets, on CD), to support a two-day workshop. Each module is available separately in Sinhala and Tamil from The Asia Foundation and the Sri Lanka Institute of Local Governance (SLILG).

• Module 1 – Financial Reporting and Cash Management
• Module 2 – Revenue Enhancement
• Module 3 – Grant Management and Donor Relations
• Module 4 – Office Management

Financial Management Training Modules: This series of four training modules is designed to provide the teaching and learning materials for training modules for LA officials in Financial Management. Each module kit contains printed resource material for trainers and participants, visual-aid material for trainers (such as power-point presentations on CD), learning exercises and simulations for trainers to use in workshops, and relevant computer software applications (such as Excel spreadsheets, on CD), to support a two-day workshop. Each module is available separately in Sinhala and Tamil from The Asia Foundation and the Sri Lanka Institute of Local Governance (SLILG).

• Module 1 – Financial Reporting and Cash Management
• Module 2 – Revenue Enhancement
• Module 3 – Grant Management and Donor Relations
• Module 4 – Office Management

Financial Management Training Modules: This series of four training modules is designed to provide the teaching and learning materials for training modules for LA officials in Financial Management. Each module kit contains printed resource material for trainers and participants, visual-aid material for trainers (such as power-point presentations on CD), learning exercises and simulations for trainers to use in workshops, and relevant computer software applications (such as Excel spreadsheets, on CD), to support a two-day workshop. Each module is available separately in Sinhala and Tamil from The Asia Foundation and the Sri Lanka Institute of Local Governance (SLILG).

• Module 1 – Financial Reporting and Cash Management
• Module 2 – Revenue Enhancement
• Module 3 – Grant Management and Donor Relations
• Module 4 – Office Management

Service Delivery Training Modules: This series of four training modules is designed to provide the teaching and learning materials for training modules for LA officials in Solid Waste Management and Roads and Drainage Maintenance. Each module kit contains printed resource material for trainers and participants, visual-aid material for trainers (such as power-point presentations on CD), learning exercises and simulations for trainers to use in workshops, and relevant computer software applications (where applicable, on CD) to support a two-day workshop. Each module is available separately in Sinhala and Tamil from The Asia Foundation and the Sri Lanka Institute of Local Governance.

• Module 1 – Solid Waste Collection and Transport
• Module 2 – Solid Waste Reduction
• Module 3 – Solid Waste Disposal and Planning
• Module 4 – Roads and Storm Water Drainage Management

Service Delivery Training Modules: This series of four training modules is designed to provide the teaching and learning materials for training modules for LA officials in Solid Waste Management and Roads and Drainage Maintenance. Each module kit contains printed resource material for trainers and participants, visual-aid material for trainers (such as power-point presentations on CD), learning exercises and simulations for trainers to use in workshops, and relevant computer software applications (where applicable, on CD) to support a two-day workshop. Each module is available separately in Sinhala and Tamil from The Asia Foundation and the Sri Lanka Institute of Local Governance.

• Module 1 – Solid Waste Collection and Transport
• Module 2 – Solid Waste Reduction
• Module 3 – Solid Waste Disposal and Planning
• Module 4 – Roads and Storm Water Drainage Management

Service Delivery Training Modules: This series of four training modules is designed to provide the teaching and learning materials for training modules for LA officials in Solid Waste Management and Roads and Drainage Maintenance. Each module kit contains printed resource material for trainers and participants, visual-aid material for trainers (such as power-point presentations on CD), learning exercises and simulations for trainers to use in workshops, and relevant computer software applications (where applicable, on CD) to support a two-day workshop. Each module is available separately in Sinhala and Tamil from The Asia Foundation and the Sri Lanka Institute of Local Governance.

• Module 1 – Solid Waste Collection and Transport
• Module 2 – Solid Waste Reduction
• Module 3 – Solid Waste Disposal and Planning
• Module 4 – Roads and Storm Water Drainage Management

Service Delivery Training Modules: This series of four training modules is designed to provide the teaching and learning materials for training modules for LA officials in Solid Waste Management and Roads and Drainage Maintenance. Each module kit contains printed resource material for trainers and participants, visual-aid material for trainers (such as power-point presentations on CD), learning exercises and simulations for trainers to use in workshops, and relevant computer software applications (where applicable, on CD) to support a two-day workshop. Each module is available separately in Sinhala and Tamil from The Asia Foundation and the Sri Lanka Institute of Local Governance.

• Module 1 – Solid Waste Collection and Transport
• Module 2 – Solid Waste Reduction
• Module 3 – Solid Waste Disposal and Planning
• Module 4 – Roads and Storm Water Drainage Management

This resource book is designed to help citizens groups to establish cooperative relationships with local authorities and lay the groundwork for better governance and social accountability at the local level. The book contains information about participatory approaches to building public confidence in local authorities and changing attitudes of local government toward citizens and citizen groups. The module guides trainers in affecting knowledge, attitudes and perceptions and describes the steps required to build partnerships between local authorities and civil society.

This guidebook is designed to help local authority personnel write a successful project proposal for submission to a funding agency or similar organization. It sets out the basic steps in project identification and describes each section of a well written proposal. The booklet provides writing tips and samples and examples of proposal components and provides information on how proposals are likely to be evaluated. Local authorities may use the “Directory of Funding and Resource Agencies for LAs in Sri Lanka” to identify places to submit proposals. Trainers may also use the guide to support workshops or “write shops” (facilitated proposal writing sessions) on proposal preparation. The guide is available in English, Sinhala and Tamil from The Asia Foundation and the Sri Lanka Institute of Local Governance (SLILG).