Local Governments and Sustainable Development From a Latin American Perspective

Edgar E. Ramírez de la Cruz, CIDE, Mexico

Over the years, an important debate has taken place over the role of national governments in advancing sustainable development. In particular, this debate has concentrated on the actions that developed and developing countries should take to decrease greenhouse gas emissions. The debate has advanced very little, however, because of the distributional consequences of these actions. Given the limitations of national efforts, this article addresses the importance of building a research agenda on the role that local governments could play in adopting sustainable strategies and policies. Understanding this role is relevant not only for U.S. cities but also for local governments in developing nations, given the difficulties of placing sustainable development on their national agendas.