1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910821612803321

Titolo

Decentralization, democracy, and development : : recent experience from Sierra Leone / / edited by Yongmei Zhou

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Washington, D.C. : , : World Bank, , c2009

ISBN

1-282-29352-4

9786612293528

0-8213-8001-X

Descrizione fisica

xxxii, 150 pages : illustrations, maps ; ; 26 cm

Collana

A World Bank country study, , 0253-2123

Altri autori (Persone)

ZhouYongmei

Disciplina

320.809664

342.6029

Soggetti

Decentralization in government - Sierra Leone

Local government - Sierra Leone

Democracy - Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone Politics and government 1961-

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references.

Nota di contenuto

Contents; Foreword; Editors and Contributors; Acknowledgments; Abbreviations and Acronyms; Introduction; Figures; Tables; 1. Establishing the Legislative, Political, and Administrative Framework for Local Government and Decentralization in Sierra Leone; 2. Fiscal Decentralization: Building the Financial Capacity of Local Governments; 3. Administrative Decentralization: Building the Non-Financial Capacity of Local Governments; 4. Decentralization in Practice; 5. Impact of Decentralization on Public Services: Evidence to Date; Boxes; 6. Civic Engagement in Local Governance

7. Landscape of Local Authority in Sierra Leone: How ""Traditional"" and ""Modern"" Justice and Governance Systems Interact8. Reflections and Conclusions on Positives and Problems Resulting from Devolution to Date; Appendix: IRCBP Evaluations Unit: Overview of Surveys; References

Sommario/riassunto

This publication addresses the question of whether political, fiscal, and administrative decentralization improves government effectiveness and the debate on whether it is a viable and desirable state-building



strategy for post-conflict countries. The publication is a collection of eight papers written by authors who were closely involved in the decentralization reform process in Sierra Leone from 2003-07. During this period, Sierra Leone's government established elected district and urban councils across the country, transferred certain responsibilities for primary services and local investment and some financial resources to the new councils, and invested heavily in building the administrative infrastructure and capacity of the local councils. Compared to most other Sub-Saharan African countries that have embarked upon decentralization, Sierra Leone's progress in building local government capacity and restructuring the fiscal system is enviable. The authors conclude that improved security and public services are possible in a decentralizing country and Sierra Leone's progress would not have been possible without significant effort at fiscal decentralization and intensive investment in local government capacity building. The most critical ingredient for this reform process is the leadership team in charge of promoting the new institutional framework and their persistent effort to achieve quick improvement in the local government system and public services.--Publisher's description.