The objective of this analytical framework is to support a politically informed and context-tuned analysis of a particular range of non-state institutions involved in local governance processes.
While state institutions are key actors, in many parts of the world important governance functions – service delivery, dispute resolution, representation and electoral politics – are influenced or mediated by institutions that operate wholly or partly outside the formal structures of the state. This framework focuses on a particular kind of actor, called informal local governance institution (ILGI), and provides guidance on how to analyse the role they play in local governance.