This two-week course focuses on how to design, implement and support effective decentralisation strategies in order to strengthen processes of governance and development from the bottom up. Questions that will be addressed during the course include: How can governments become more knowledgeable of and responsive to the needs of the people? How can you create possibilities for greater economic participation of marginalised groups? And how can local governments contribute to reaching the MDGs?

The course will help you:
- gain a reference frame for working on good governance, democracy, decentralisation and participation;
- increase your knowledge on inter-administrative relations and local governance practices in different parts of the world;
- Increase your insight into the various factors that influence performance at the local level;
- learn tips and tools for designing strategies for a more effective implementation of decentralisation and local development policies.

NFP (Nuffic) fellowship
The Netherlands organisation for international cooperation in higher education (NUFFIC) offers the opportunity to apply for a fellowship for this training course, as part of the Netherlands Fellowship Programme (NFP) for short courses. To see if you are eligible for a fellowship and to learn more about the rules and regulations regarding the fellowship, please see www.nuffic.nl/nfp.
If you would like to apply for this NFP fellowship you have to:
- Send us your application form for this training course and
- register in the online Nuffic database Scholarships online through the following link: www.nuffic.nl/sol
You must send us the application form for the course and register in SOL between 17 July and 2 October, 2012 ! Applications send beyond 2 October 2012 will not be considered.