Authors
Samuel Nnadi
Department of Political Science, FUNAI,
Ebonyi State, Nigeria
Ndukwe Kalu
Department of Political Science,
Abia State University, Uturu, Nigeria
Allens Umunna Iheonu
Department of Political Science,
Abia State University, Uturu, Nigeria
Corresponding Author: jenallens2k3@gmail.com
Raymond Nwapi
Department of Political Science,
Abia State University, Uturu, Nigeria
Ogadinma Ikonne
Department of Sociology,
Abia State University, Uturu, Nigeria
Abstract
The study is a comparative analysis of the workings of local
government administration in Nigeria and China. The study
argued that globalisation, urbaninsation, regionalisation,
technological innovation, and participatory planning are the
major challenges of local government works. Since local government world over is designed to serve as an instrument
for grass-root development and bringing government nearer to
the people for the purpose of their maximum participation in
the development of local communities; this major challenge to
the workings of local government should be handled with
utmost care to ensure that local areas are developed to avoid
unmitigated migration to the urban cities. To ensure proper
participation of the local people, local government are built
with the act of decentralizing power either through devolution
of power or delegation of power to the lowest level of
government. With this in mind, the socio-political and
administrative structures of local government in Nigeria and
China were examined to provide the basis of how these
instruments operate to differentiate single and multi-tier
structures and how the administrative structure relate to the
political system that are important to the mitigation of the
challenges of local government. The study was anchored on
Expo Facto Research Design. The theoretical underpinning of
the study was a combination of Institutional Theory and
Decentralization Theory. The method of data collection
employed by the study was Secondary Data Collection while
the instrument of data analysis deployed by the study was
Relational Content Analysis.
References
Ahlers, A. L. (2014). Rural policy implementation in
contemporary China: New Socialist Countryside.
London: Routledge.
Ahlers, A.L. (2015). Weaving the Chinese dream on the
ground: Local government approaches to “NewType” rural urbanisation. Journal of Chinese
Political Science 20(2): 121-142.
Denters, B. and Rose, L. E. (2005). Comparing local
governance: Trends and developments, New
York: Palgrave McMillian.
Dick-Sagoe, C. (2020). Decentralisation for improving the
provision of public service in developing
countries: A critical review. Taylor and Francis
Online. https://www.tandforline.com Accessed 9th
April, 2020, 8.58 pm.
Dullar Omar Institute (2026). Local Government in
Nigeria.https://dullahomarinstitute.org.za
Accessed 25th April 2026, 7.26 pm.
Ezeani, U. (2025). Taxing powers in Nigeria:
constitutional framework. https://papers.ssm.com
Accessed 25th April, 2026, 11.50 am.
Faguet, J. P. (2021). Understanding decentralisation
theory, evidence and method. https://www.econst
or.eu Accessed 9th April, 2020, 12.27 pm. He, X (2007). New rural reconstruction and the Chinese path.
Chinese Sociology and Anthropology 39(4).
Heinelt, B. H. (2021). Interessenvermittlung in China
(Local governance and administrative interest
mediation in China). In moderns regieren in China
(Modern governing in China), (ed.) Heinelt.
Baden-ben, H: Nomos, 89-115.
Iheonu, Allens Umunna, PhD and Alozie, Cyprian C. PhD
(2021). Intergovernmental \relations: An expository
survey. Okigwe: Excellent PrintProduction
Enterprise.
Kidokoro, T. (2008). Sustainable cities and regions:
Space, place and governance, Tokyo: Springer.
Nur, A. Y. P. (2025). Institutional Theory in Simplifying
Local Government Bureaucracy. https://www
.atlantis-press.com Accessed 15th April, 2026, 7.00
am.
Ocampo, J. A. (2010). Public sector governance and
accountability series: Local Government in
Developing Countries, Washington: World Bank.
Obodo, N. A. (2017). Local Government financing
https://eprints.goun.edu.ng Accessed 25th April,
2026, 11.20 am.
Ocampo, J. A. (2010). Rethinking global economic and
social governance; Journal of Globalisation
and Development. Vol.1. 1-6.
Sanni, A. O. (2020). Division of taxing powers under the
1999 Constitution. https://ir.unilagrepository.edu .ng
Accessed 25th April 2026, 11.44 am
Schubert, G. and Heberer, T. (2015). Private
entrepreneurs as a “strategic group” in the
Chinese polity. The China Review 17(2): 95-122.
Science Direct, Com (2026). Institutional Theory: An
Overview. https://www.sciencedire ct.com Accessed