Central Control over Local Authorities : Investigate of Sri Lankan Practices

The post-war era is witnessing a distinct shift in the attitude and mechanism of administrative control, particularly in the developed countries. The struggle of the local authorities against negative contents of control has met with success in several liberal democracies. Literature survey of the central government and local authority relationship, however, reveals that there is a global trend towards centralisation. There are social, economic, political, administrative and financial factors contribute to this scenario. The welfare state concept has brought about a revolutionary change in the division of powers by blurring the areas of jurisdiction of the different levels of government on the one hand and consequently, introducing the element of their interdependence, on the other. Centralised planning, which is increasingly the current scenario, has made the lower levels of government integrated with the national government in respect of national economic policy. Increasing sophistication in the delivery of services resulted in the dependence of the local authorities on the higher level of government for obtaining technical and financial assistance. Further, technology has improved modern means of transport and communication, making the supervision and control closer and rigid. Indeed, the history of local authority in Sri Lanka particularly the nineteenth century, might be described from one angle as the steady invasion by the central government of a sphere formerly left entirely to local authorities. On the other hand, the local authorities in developing countries are a direct control of the government