For the SDC, local economic development is not just an economic matter but a cooperative approach which provides an excellent tool for bringing together different interest groups to agree on local cooperation that can help create jobs and income, in addition to improving governance.

SDC focus

Moreover, local economic development can also strengthen governance at national level. In countries like Kosovo or Burkina Faso, the SDC conducts local economic development activities which have been implemented simultaneously in several towns. This has enabled municipalities (or rather territories, because each town has close links with its peri-urban and rural hinterland) to exchange information and experience that are specific to them. This has led to better cooperation among local authorities and thus added weight to the local dimension in dialogue with central government.

Background

Local economic development brings together various stakeholders from civil society, as well as the public and private sectors. Its goal is to promote cooperation so as to develop a given area. Cooperation is a key factor in governance. Local economic development (LED) triggers a political process in which the protagonists have to negotiate the priorities bearing in mind the limited human and financial resources at their disposal.

Forces that drive the economy

Economic considerations drive the private sector. Cooperation on creating public goods, such as improved framework conditions for investment, calls for a private-public collaboration that is built into concrete projects ("We'll build the road, and you'll build the factory. You tell us what's not right about the investment climate, and we'll put it right."). In this way, combined LED efforts create new business prospects. The public sector needs the private sector for local economic development.

In virtually every country, it is the private sector that creates most jobs and generates income, and jobs and income are a priority for the public sector's customers and voters. Poverty reduction and – perhaps more important for a civil servant – re-election of the mayor and his staff depend on the generation of income.

Governance as a process

Civil society, like local associations, should also be part of planning and implementing development projects in which the economic dimension is obviously not the only issue at stake. The State and local government do not cover all the ground. So the three stakeholder groups – the public and private sectors and civil society – negotiate and cooperate on the basis of concrete information derived from evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the local economy, as well as the opportunities and risks involved. This dynamic exchange between partners improves governance at local level.

Current projects

Object 829 – 840 of 971

Local Roads Improvement Programme (LRIP – I)

01.12.2012 - 31.12.2021

Past SDC interventions have focussed on making rural road construction work for the poor and disadvantaged through labour-intensive construction methods. This project now takes proven approaches further by ensuring even more all-weather accessibility to markets and services by emphasising the importance of maintenance and preservation of built roads through promotion of labour-based roads maintenance methods and by fostering an institutional process in the districts, which should pave the way for the highly successful concepts of road construction and maintenance to be adopted as national standards.



Energising Development - Support to the Energising Development (EnDev) Initiative

01.11.2012 - 31.12.2023

Providing sustainable access to modern and climate friendly energy services to households, health centres, schools, and small enterprises impacts the lives of the beneficiaries in many ways: improved cooking reduces the burden on women and girls of fire-wood collection and their exposure to indoor air pollution; access to improved lighting reduces health hazards and allows children to study; energy availability improves access to information and communication and extends the range of productive activities; and energy access improves the conditions and quality of services such as education and health; all while reducing CO2 emissions.


Swiss Programme for Research on Global Issues for Development - Research Module on Employment

01.09.2012 - 31.12.2023

SDC and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) are offering a new long-term funding scheme for development-relevant research on global issues (www.r4d.ch). The main focus lies on the generation of new insights and solutions as well as on the application of research results into policy and practice through partnership projects between researchers from Switzerland and from developing countries. The overall r4d.ch program consists of five thematic modules and a module for thematically open research. The second module focuses on employment in the context of sustainable development.


Third Sustainable Livelihoods Project (SLP3)

01.09.2012 - 31.12.2021

The Third Sustainable Livelihoods Project (SLP3) aims to foster improved rural local governance and effective service provision by building capacity and institutionalizing community participation in the planning and delivery of priority investments. It will do so by supporting the implementation of the new Integrated Budget Law (IBL), which is the centrepiece of the government’s decentralization reform process. SLP3 will provide essential training, development and performance grants to all 330 soums and benefit 40% of Mongolia’s population.


Swiss Programme for Research on Global Issues for Development - Research Module on Social Conflicts and Fragility

01.03.2012 - 31.12.2023

SDC and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) are offering a new long-term funding scheme for development-relevant research on global issues (www.r4d.ch). The main focus lies on the generation of new insights and solutions as well as on the application of research results into policy and practice through partnership projects between researchers from Switzerland and from developing countries. The overall r4d.ch program consists of five thematic modules and a module for thematically open research. The first thematic module focuses on the causes and solutions to social conflicts in the context of weak public institutions.




Swiss Bluetec Bridge: Swiss start-ups benefit disadvantaged populations

01.04.2011 - 31.05.2024

The challenges involving water are creating opportunities for cutting-edgetechnological innovation. The SDC's Swiss Bluetec Bridge initiative supports these innovations to improve access to water for the poorest populations. The first start-up to benefit from a loan is the start-up company “Swiss Fresh Water” which has developed a low-cost system fordesalinating salty or brackish water.

Country/region Topic Period Budget
Global
Water
Drinking water and basic sanitation (WASH) (til 2016)
Water sanitation

01.04.2011 - 31.05.2024


CHF 2'050'000




Support to St. Francis Hospital in Ifakara

01.10.2010 - 31.12.2022

SDC plans to support health services and management improvement, and address the role of the hospital as a place for practical training and clinical research. The project would focus primarily on improving health care and look for synergies between St. Francis Hospital, the Ifakara Health Institute and the Tanzanian Training Centre for International Health, and the Swiss institutions that support them (SDC, Novartis Foundation, SwissTPH and Solidarmed). During the entry proposal period, SDC and partners will have an opportunity to explore which organisational option would best serve these objectives. Refurbishment of the pediatric ward will also be undertaken and equipment provided.


Polish-Swiss Research Programme (PSRP)

01.10.2009 - 30.06.2017

Under the Polish Swiss Research Programme, Switzerland contributes to enhancing Polish economic competitiveness by strengthening capacity in research. Swiss and Polish research institutions develop and implement joint research activities in the field of health, environment, ICT, renewable energy sources and nanotechnology.

Object 829 – 840 of 971