Editorial

[...]the commitment of Australia’s federal government to international norms and standards, and especially constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, has waxed and waned. Through two case studies she demonstrates that local governments can be forceful advocates for their communities, acting to increase the quality and availability of information, strengthen community participation, and create opportunities for local deliberation. [...]Niaz Ahmed Khan, Jannatul Ferdous and Md Imran Hossain Bhuiyan examine citizens’ trust in local government in Bangladesh, with a particular focus on upazila parishad (sub-district councils). The results mirror those of Turyasingura and Nabaho concerning the adverse impact of poor organisational citizenship behaviour in Ugandan local government: trust was at a low level due to delays in service delivery, dishonest and unfair practices, and disrespectful treatment of clients by service providers.