Journal Articles

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Browsing Journal Articles by Subject "Accountability"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Decentralization, local governance and path dependency theory
    (University of Dar es Salaam, 2019) Kessy, Ambrose T.
    Tanzania has embarked on several radical measures to restructure its economy and governance structures, including local governments. For more than four decades, Tanzania has been striving relentlessly for effective decentralisation measures, yet the progress has been slow. The country has passed through several phases of decentralisation, with each phase inheriting some criticised characteristics that have been difficult to dismantle in the successive phases. For example, previously recognised mistakes have continued to block any attempts to diverge from the direction set by the Ujamaa policies. It is argued here that various attempts at decentralisation by the central government since the 1960s in Tanzania have fallen short of the government’s intentions to establish effective local governance. This being the case, two important questions prevail: Why has Tanzania made little progress towards effective decentralisation, despite various attempts to devolve powers from the centre? Why has Tanzania not fully decentralised, as echoed in the policy paper on Decentralisation-by-Devolution (D-by-D)? There have been a number of explanations for this retardation along the path to decentralisation. This article reflects upon the tenability of path dependency theory which posits that the longer an institution has been in place, the more resilient it is to change.
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    The demand and supply sides of accountability in local government authorities in Tanzania
    (Tylor & Francis, 2020) Kessy, Ambrose T.
    Accountability and transparency have been on the top of lists of the agenda about local governance. Unfortunately, a significant number of studies have tended to view accountability through the traditional model of public administration (supply side of accountability) at the expense of the demand side of accountability. Based on the experience with decentralization in Tanzania for the past four decades, this article argues that both the demand and supply sides are important for effective service delivery by local governments. In this arrangement, the fundamental principle of democracy is attained when citizens have the right to demand accountability and public officials are held accountable. The demand side, which is bottom up driven by non–state actors, or the supply side, which encompasses legal and fiscal governmental checks and balances may lead to effective local good governance. This article is based on these assumptions and therefore attempts to discuss the main avenues and challenges for exercising effective supply and demand sides of accountability in local governments in Tanzania. The study seeks to answer the question of how the demand and supply sides of accountability have been implemented in Tanzania, regarding local governments.
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    Tales of accountability: a Q-method study of discourses amongst Tanzanian members of parliament
    (Cambridge University Press, 2017) Katomero, Jesper; Hoppe, Robert; Wesselink, Anna
    The hallmark of accountability in a democracy centres on the way the elected parliament holds the executive to account. If the parliament does not perform its oversight role effectively, lower authorities would have fewer incentives to do the same vis-à-vis local executives. In this article we therefore ask whether or not different meanings of accountability can be discerned amongst Tanzanian Members of Parliament (MPs). In our Q-method research we found four clearly identifiable discourses on accountability amongst Tanzanian MPs: Partycrats; My Electorate's Advocates; Frustrated Account Holders; and Pragmatic Account Holders. We understand MPs discourses within the broader context of political clientelism and we argue that this combination of discourses, or accountability culture, enables the executive to rule in semi-autocratic ways. Even if opposition parties would obtain a parliamentary majority, this accountability culture stands in the way of achieving greater democratic responsiveness.
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    Transparency in local government finance and service delivery: The case of Mwanza City and Moshi District Councils in Tanzania
    (University of Zululand, 2020) Kessy, Ambrose T.
    Transparency is an essential tool of local governance which enables the local citizens to hold local institutions accountable for their performance, to foster trust in government, minimize corruption and improve local service delivery. Accountability and transparency have been on the top of agendas in all the local government reforms in Tanzania. For transparency to work properly, it needs effective structures of implementation. Within the local government system in Tanzania, the structures of transparency are present but appear to be not working as they should do. This paper seeks to assess the extent to which the problems of transparency have persisted under the new phase of local government reforms and how they are likely to impact on local service delivery in Tanzania. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to examine the extent to which fiscal transparency in local governments in Tanzania is practised and how this has played a greater role in service delivery. The study used a case study of purposively selected local councils in Tanzania to examine the dynamics of fiscal transparency and service delivery. The findings show that there is little flow of information from higher levels of local governments to the lower levels in relation to resources available and results achieved. The information received from the councils is sometimes opaque or fuzzy in the sense that it does not reveal all about what their leaders do or what important decisions have been made about their councils. The study concludes that the importance of accountability and transparency attached to service delivery in any country is essential for good practice in local governance. Hence, instruments for accountability and transparency at the local levels must be enhanced to enable public institutions and public officials to be responsive to the citizens.