The College of Political Science at the University of Baghdad discussed a doctoral thesis entitled “Local Governance Oversight (France, Britain, Iraq): A Study of Selected Models” by student Sarah Abdul Muslim under the supervision of Assistant Professor Asaad Tarsh Abd Al-Ridha.
The thesis examined the increasing role of oversight alongside the growing and complex roles of the state and public administration. Oversight is considered an administrative function, not an end in itself, but rather a means to enhance the performance of the system. Due to various developments at all levels, the concept of oversight has evolved, extending beyond the horizontal form between the three powers (legislative, executive, and judicial) within the state to take on a vertical form from higher to lower levels. Consequently, the types and classifications of oversight have diversified, including legislative oversight, popular oversight, judicial oversight, financial oversight, administrative oversight, and others.
Based on this, the thesis reached several conclusions, indicating that the French approach allows the central authority to impose relatively strict supervision or guardianship over local bodies to maintain internal security, protect state sovereignty, and safeguard its administrative and political system. Additionally, it highlighted the evolution of the oversight system over local bodies in France through two stages: before the issuance of Law No. 213 of 1982, characterized by a strict administrative supervisory system (administrative guardianship), and the stage of abolishing the administrative oversight system and replacing it with judicial administrative oversight.
At the end of the discussion, the researcher was awarded a doctoral degree with a grade of “very good,” wishing success to all our dear students.
