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Home»Governance»Public sector management»Decentralisation & local governance

Decentralisation & local governance

Local Governance in South Sudan: Overview

Helpdesk Report
  • Iffat Idris
December 2018

The system of local governance in South Sudan (independent since 2011) comprises both formal state structures and traditional authorities. The three tier local government structure faces significant capacity and resource constraints – manifested in weak effectiveness - which are being exacerbated by the government’s decision to increase the number of states in South Sudan from ...» more

Lessons from Local Governance Programmes in South Sudan

Helpdesk Report
  • Iffat Idris
December 2018

Donor-funded (governance) programming in South Sudan has been hampered by numerous challenges, notably renewed conflict and economic crisis. The literature points to a general failure by donors to appreciate these challenges and to donors’ overestimating state capacity, leading to overambitious programmes. Donors are urged to be flexible, integrate political and development ...» more

M&E methods for local government performance

Helpdesk Report
  • Anna Louise Strachan
March 2018

A range of methods can be used to monitor and evaluate whether a programme/workstream has contributed to change in local governance, service delivery and economic development, and to generate understanding and knowledge that can be shared with others to support better governance, service delivery and economic development in a decentralised government system. This report ...» more

Evidence and experience of procurement in health sector decentralisation

Helpdesk Report
  • Kerry A. Millington,
  • Minakshi Bhardwaj
May 2017

Improving the efficiency, effectiveness, equity and responsiveness of supply chains and procurement processes for pharmaceuticals, vaccines and other health products, which make up a large share of total health expenditure in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), has important implications for health system performance and population health. Decentralised governance of ...» more

Urban governance

Topic Guide
  • William Robert Avis
November 2016
Seoul sunrise panorama

What is urban governance and why does it matter? How can key urban policy issues be addressed? This topic guide introduces the literature on urban governance and its relationship to growth and poverty reduction. It considers the key debates and issues, and sets out some implications for practice on specific urban governance challenges. ...» more

Decentralisation and cash transfer programmes

Helpdesk Report
  • Edward Laws
September 2016

In many countries, national governments have delegated the implementation of public programmes, including cash transfers (CTs), to lower levels of the political administration. This rapid literature review found very little research or empirical evidence on the relationship between federal and provincial government in regard to cash transfer programmes. Much scholarship has ...» more

Public financial management in decentralised and decentralising environments

E-Learning
  • Reading pack
  • Paul Smoke
September 2015

What is public financial management and how is it used in decentralised and decentralising systems? Public financial management (PFM)—the science and art of budgeting, spending, and accounting for public funds—is among the most fundamental elements of public sector reform. PFM not only helps to ensure that there are clearly defined and well applied rules and…» more

Political Economy and Governance in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Helpdesk Report
  • Brigitte Rohwerder,
  • Huma Haider
August 2015

This report is an update of a 2010 report, ‘Political Economy and Governance in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)’, and is based on some of the recent literature on governance and political economy in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The report outlines the following key governance and political economy issues discussed in the literature: Political ...» more

Decentralisation

E-Learning
  • Reading pack
  • Paul Smoke
March 2015

What is meant by decentralisation and why is it so popular? Some form of public sector decentralisation is nearly universal practice. Is there clear justification? What is known about how well it works? How can policymakers and practitioners try to better design and implement decentralisation so as to reap potential benefits and limit potential problems?…» more

Decentralisation and local government

Topic Guide
  • Sumedh Rao; Zoë Scott; Munawwar Alam
November 2014

Estimates suggest that decentralisation is being pursued in over 80% of developing countries worldwide. For many people, local government is the part of government that most directly impacts on their lives, particularly via the provision of services like water, sanitation, and primary education and healthcare. Further resources The following resources were included in GSDRC's ...» more

Community-driven development and indigenous, ethnic minority, and disability issues

Helpdesk Report
  • Evie Browne
August 2014

Few CDD programmes explicitly address minority issues. Many programmes target vulnerable groups such as women, youth, disabled, ethnic minorities, but as one group rather than distinguishing their differing needs. Few programmes are targeted specifically at vulnerable groups alone. Many programmes focus on reducing poverty and vulnerability, with the implicit assumption that ...» more

Direct elections and responsiveness in Indonesia

Helpdesk Report
  • Anna Strachan
February 2014

According to Rodden and Wibbels (2012, p. 4), responsiveness refers to a situation where “candidates offer, and then implement, distinctive platforms that reflect constituent preferences or demands.” This is the definition that is used for the purpose of this report. It is difficult to establish whether direct elections are the main driver of responsiveness. This is because ...» more

Voting behaviour in Indonesia Impact of information and performance

Helpdesk Report
  • Anna Strachan
February 2014

The literature is divided on the impact of information about performance in service delivery on voting behaviour. While some authors find that performance information has an impact on voter behaviour, others find that it has no impact on the reelection of incumbents. The literature on the impact of performance in service delivery on voting behaviour in Indonesia is also ...» more

Voting behaviour of marginalised groups in Indonesia

Helpdesk Report
  • Anna Strachan
February 2014

While there is limited evidence on the voting behaviour of individual groups living in conflict-afflicted provinces, the literature provides some information about the voting behaviour of people living in ethnically and religiously diverse conflict-afflicted/post-conflict provinces in Indonesia. This rapid literature review found very little evidence on whether other ...» more

Conflict and Stabilisation in Mali and the Sahel Region

Helpdesk Report
  • Sumedh Rao
January 2013

The report covers factors including: Islamist terrorism; criminal networks and trafficking (of arms, drugs, cigarettes, and vehicles); and Tuareg rebellions against the Malian government. It also considers state weakness, including the weakness of state security structures in the north, and the role of neighbouring countries, ECOWAS, the AU and other international actors. ...» more

The impact of decentralisation on economic growth

Helpdesk Report
  • Freida M'Cormack
September 2011

Democratic decentralisation is advocated as a means of providing more appropriate, efficient and accessible public services, and of achieving a variety of interrelated socio-economic objectives, including poverty reduction and economic development. Few studies, however, empirically explore the links between decentralisation and economic development partly because it is ...» more

Effects of decentralisation on social spending

Helpdesk Report
  • Freida M'Cormack
September 2011

Decentralisation and devolution to locally elected forms of government is often promoted as a means of: 1. giving local citizens and their representatives more decision-making power (political decentralisation); 2. redistributing authority, responsibilities and resources among different levels of government (administrative decentralisation); and 3. localising authority over ...» more

Political Economy and Governance in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Helpdesk Report
  • Huma Haider
December 2010

This report is based on some of the recent literature on governance and political economy in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It should be read in conjunction with the helpdesk research report on ‘New Literature on Conflict in the DRC’, which includes a section on political issues. The report outlines the following key governance and political economy issues discussed in ...» more

Decentralisation and Statebuilding

Helpdesk Report
  • Huma Haider
February 2010

Decentralisation and the building or restoring of sub-national government institutions can significantly alter centre-periphery relations. Much of the literature cites the potential for these processes and structures to contribute to improving state-citizen relations and advancing state legitimacy.The contribution that decentralisation and sub-national government can make to ...» more

Political Economy of Sub-National Government

Helpdesk Report
  • Claire Mcloughlin
January 2010

Of the limited recent literature that considers the political economy of sub-national (state and provincial) government, the case of Afghanistan is prominent. International support to sub-national governance in Afghanistan has been relatively well documented, with much of the literature emphasising that reform efforts have often neglected to account for the political economy of ...» more

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