Local Governance Reforms in Africa

Abstract

Focus: evolution and quality of local governance reforms assumption: local governance can only work if national frame provides sufficient institutional choices of transferring power francophone countries tend to be more interested in decentralization nigeria started in 70ies with decentralization attempts, but benefits were hollow decentralization since 70ies in many African countries, but national responses vary depending on colonial past/ Francophone: local management rather than local democracy/ Anglophone: federal arrangement with freedom of action pp 134 Nigeria: one of the few federally governed african countries local goverment fail to perform although revenue share should have enabled them local goverment mentioned in the 1979 constitution as the third tier of policy making -- Local goverment personnel mostly comes from national level and sees work on local level as disgrace several reform, also under military dictatorship, to improve management and prevent fraud; yet service delivery remains at a low level local participatory reforms and even elections were introduced, but again corruption undermines any possible positive effects concl: one of the most ambitious local-governance reform program in africa