13/10/2026
📊 LOCAL PUBLIC SAFETY COUNCILS IN ALBANIA: STRONGER GOVERNANCE, BUT IS COORDINATION TRANSLATING INTO RESULTS?
The IANS 2026 Performance Assessment, covering nine Albanian municipalities, reveals an important distinction: institutional coordination is improving, but operational effectiveness and sustainability remain uneven.
The assessment examines five dimensions: governance, interinstitutional cooperation, operational performance, institutional capacity and sustainability.
🔎 WHAT DOES THE EVIDENCE SHOW?
🔹 Cërrik (8.4/10) demonstrates the most balanced institutional performance, combining strong governance and cooperation (9/10 each) with consistent operational results.
🔹 Lezhë (8.2/10) stands out for operational performance (9/10), suggesting a stronger capacity to translate coordination arrangements into practical responses.
🔹 Elbasan, Mat and Kukës (8.2/10 each) demonstrate strong governance and interinstitutional cooperation (9/10), although institutional capacity and sustainability require further consolidation.
🔹 Librazhd and Pogradec (8.0/10 each) have established strong governance and cooperation mechanisms (9/10), but operational consistency and long-term sustainability remain areas for improvement.
🔹 Vlorë (6.8/10) illustrates a critical institutional gap: relatively strong cooperation (8/10) is not matched by equivalent institutional capacity or sustainability (6/10).
🔹 Korçë (6.6/10) faces more systemic performance challenges, particularly in operational effectiveness and sustainability (6/10 each).
📌 THREE FINDINGS MATTER FOR POLICY AND PRACTICE:
1️⃣ Governance is not the same as effectiveness. Clear institutional arrangements and regular coordination are necessary, but insufficient without consistent implementation and case follow-up.
2️⃣ Cooperation must be assessed through operational results. The quality of multidisciplinary responses matters more than the frequency of institutional meetings.
3️⃣ Sustainability is a structural performance issue. Without adequate resources, institutional capacity and continuity, improvements risk remaining dependent on temporary external support.
The policy implication is clear: The next phase of LPSC development should shift from establishing coordination mechanisms to strengthening their operational accountability, institutional capacity and sustainable delivery.
The purpose of performance assessment is not to rank municipalities, but to identify where institutional systems work, where they fall short and what needs to change.
📖 IANS Performance Assessment 2026
https://ians-albania.org/sites/default/files/Performance%20Assesment%20%202026.pdf