Citizen perception and participation in local government in post-Soviet countries: Case of Kyrgyzstan

Abstract

The major aim of local government is to maintain a well-established system where councils use their official power, roles, and responsibilities to work together for good order and good governance of their municipal districts. As part of their duties, local governments are expected to work toward improving social, economic, and environmental sustainability for the well-being of their citizens. In this respect, effective local governments provide overall quality standards of life for the people who live in their districts. Citizen participation in local government is significant for the governance efficiency and social welfare. In this paper, participation of citizen in local governments in Kyrgyzstan is investigated. Kyrgyzstan is a post-Soviet country where local government bodies appeared after the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. The role of local governments is enormous in increasing social welfare add democracy. Along with this, citizens’ perception of the efficiency of public services, local governance, and trust in local governance institutions is analyzed based on the survey “Life in Kyrgyzstan (LIK)” consisting of more than 7000 individuals in Kyrgyzstan, conducted in 2019. The results of the logit model revealed that general trust in the community, employment status of citizens, and accessibility of the information about local government positively affect trust in local government. At the same time, unemployment being more informed about the activities of local government, trying to influence the local budget process, and participation in local voting decreases trust in local government in Kyrgyzstan.