Local governments are authorized by law to have their own discretion over local development planning and budgeting with respect to the demands of local residents. Still, the Department of Local Administration Promotion (DLAP) of the ministry of Interior, has issued several guidelines and advice on local budgeting, accounting procedures, and fiscal management. In addition, since 1998 the department has tried to influence local budget formulation by encouraging the use of participatory approaches in the budgetary processes.