The decentralization policy equips municipal councils and provincial parliaments in Indonesia with new possibilities, rights and duties to tackle local problems more autonomously. The purpose of this book series is to provide basic knowledge about the chances and methods of regional economic development at the local and regional level.

Through solving local problems the municipal councils are supposed to substantially support the policy of decentralization and the democratic process. When, however, approximately 70 percent of the members of the municipal parliaments were not re-elected and exchanged at the elections in 2004, the mistrust and the discontent of the public with the local parliamentary performance became obvious. Hence, the qualification, consultation and education of the local politicians have become necessary to support the reform process.

The cooperation between GTZ-red (Regional Economic Development) Indonesia and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation reflects both many years of expertise and the practical project experiences at the local level. Based on such synergy effects these manuals are characterized by their user-friendliness and practical applicability. Referring to sustainable development of the local economy, the core tasks and the role of the local parliaments (DRP-D) are presented and analyzed.

The contributions of this series serve the education and the awareness-building not only of the local parliamentarians but also of the general public. The analysis of daily problems as well as practically oriented solution models and alternative measures are provided at the same time.

The Konrad Adenauer Foundation supports the reform and transformation process of Indonesia by political consultation and educational measures to assist the sustainable development and stabilization of democracy. These publications are the third part of the follow-up of the series about the basic tasks of local parliamentarians which was published in 2004 and has received positive reactions from parliamentarians and local players. In this edition of the guidebooks subjects are discussed that take the specific needs of local actors further into consideration and give a practically oriented perspective.

Excerpts from the contents:

Chapter I Introduction

Chapter II Credits and Finances

Chapter III Strategies and Models for SME

Chapter IV Experiences from South Sulawesi

Chapter V Conclusions