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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Service delivery: the clash between elected and appointed public officials
Author:Kiwanuka, Micheal
Year:2012
Periodical:The Ugandan Journal of Management and Public Policy Studies (ISSN 2078-7049)
Volume:4
Issue:1
Pages:77-87
Language:English
Geographic term:Uganda
Subjects:decentralization
local government
central-local government relations
public services
Abstract:Developing countries, especially in Africa, have in the last two decades enhanced decentralization as an administrative-political reform strategy believed to accelerate effective public service delivery and thus salvage the states' credibility. Uganda has since 1993, been implementing an ambitious devolution form of decentralization through which planning and decision-making power, administrative authority, and a sizable amount of resources were evolved to local governments. One of the biggest challenges of Uganda's decentralization system is the conflicting interface between the elected and appointed public officials in local governments. This paper adopts a documentary review approach to explore the interface between the elected and appointed officials in local governments in Uganda. It then analyses the implications of this conflicting interaction for service delivery in local governments of Uganda. The paper concludes that this conflicting interface threatens service delivery by suffocating public participation, undermining accountability, eroding public trust and, consequently, defeating the whole essence of decentralization. The paper recommends that the interface be strengthened through operationalizing the legal and institutional structures and the nurturing of centre-periphery relationships. Bibliogr., sum. [Journal abstract]
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