How often does local government jump straight to a solution without first asking: Is there a real need?
That was the central question of a webinar we organized as part of the SDG Partnership: Bosnia and Herzegovina and Switzerland. Our guests from the Canton of Ticino, Switzerland, presented their approach to good local governance — a valuable reminder that good governance starts one step earlier.
The Canton of Ticino model in a nutshell:
➡️ Understand the context — through participatory assessment (Bilancio partecipato) that combines subjective perceptions (surveys) with objective data (statistics and measurements).
➡️ Translate needs into policy — through workshops with citizens and institutions to define a shared vision, strategic priorities, and measures.
➡️ Implement and monitor — through an integrated annual report and budget plan that tracks public services across different dimensions of well-being.
The key message: It is not enough to say how much money was spent. We need to show what was done, for whom, through which services, and with what results.
Why? For whom? What? How?
That is transparency.
That is accountability.
That is local government that learns.
Thank you to Massimo Trobia, Danilo Mattenberger, and the team from the Canton of Ticino for sharing their experience and practical examples. We also sincerely thank Kathy Müller Rodriguez and CSR Impact for their valuable contribution.
We look forward to continuing this exchange of experiences through the SDG Partnership.