Understanding Local Government Power

Local government shapes many of the conditions social workers encounter every day:

• Housing and neighborhood development

• Behavioral health and public health

• Public safety

• Transportation and infrastructure

• Parks and community resources

• Child, family, and older-adult services

• Public budgets, contracts, and investments

But local power is rarely concentrated in one place. It moves through city councils, county governments, public agencies, commissions, staff, contractors, community organizations, and informal relationships.

Understanding Local Government Power will help participants recognize who holds authority, how decisions move through public institutions, and where social workers can exercise meaningful influence.

Course promise

Understand who makes consequential local decisions, how authority moves through public institutions, and where you can influence change—even without holding elected office.

What you will learn

By the end of the course, participants should be better able to:

• Identify the local institutions that shape community conditions

• Distinguish elected authority, administrative authority, and informal influence

• Understand how public decisions move from priorities to implementation

• Recognize practical points of access and influence

• Assess where relationships can expand public leadership capacity

• Identify a next step for engaging local government in their own community

Who this is for

SW2E is being created for:

• Social workers and social work students

• Nonprofit and public-agency professionals

• Community organizers and neighborhood leaders

• Social work educators

• People considering appointed or elected public service

• Social workers who want to influence public decisions without becoming candidates

*You do not need political experience, an existing government role, or plans to run for office.