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EAZ – PUBLIC DISCUSSION
December 4, 2008
THE ROLE OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES IN
DECENTRALISATION
Presentation by:
Dr. Peter Kaumba Lolojih
Democratic Decentralisation
(Political decentralisation or Devolution)
• The transfer of powers and resources to
sub-national authorities which are: (a)
largely or wholly independent of the
central government, and (b) democratically
elected.
Local communities and Decentralisation
 Involvement in the decision-making process – local
communities make their own decisions through their
local leaders
 Problem solving – local communities are
encouraged to find solutions to everyday problems
>>> innovative ideas that are more in tune with local
conditions
 Community Driven Development – empowers local
communities to exert influence over local
governance/services
Requisite community characteristics
• Capacity to demand and support democratic
government
• Realisation that communities are principal players
and a source of political legitimacy in local
administration
• Capacity, and the interest to hold local officials
accountable
• Willingness to take responsibility in the process of
public service delivery
AFROBAROMETER
•
A comparative series of national attitude surveys on Democracy, Markets and
Civil Society in Africa
•
It is an independent, non-partisan research instrument that measures the
social, political and economic atmosphere in Africa. Afrobarometer surveys are
conducted in many African countries on a regular cycle. Because the
instrument asks a standard set of questions, countries can be systematically
compared and, ultimately, trends in public attitudes can be tracked over time.
•
So far – 1999 (12 countries); 2003 (16 countries); 2005 (18 countries); 2008 (20
countries) - on going
•
National probability sample >>> random selection methods; PPPS
•
Funded through grants: National Science Foundation; SIDA; USAID; World
Bank; ADB; Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs; DFID
•
Core Partners: MSU (USA); CDD (Ghana); IDASA (South Africa)
Zambians’ views on Democracy
73% of Zambians associated democracy with:
- civil liberties/personal freedoms (33%)
- Government by, for, of the people/popular rule
(9%)
- Voting/elections/multiparty competition (21%)
- peace/unity/power sharing (4%)
- Social/economic development (2%)
- Equality/justice (1%)
- Majority rule (1%)
- Governance/effectiveness/accountability/rule of
law (2%)
- Don’t know/did not understand the question
(20%)
Support for Democracy
80
75
70
70
64
60
50
40
30
20
10
9
12
15
10
11 12
0
1999
Democracy preferable
Doesn't matter
2003
2005
Non- Democratic Govt. preferable
90
Support for Democracy by level of education in Zambia:
2005
81
80
78
72
70
60
50
44
40
35
30
20
10
22
21
19
9
14
10 11
4
3
2
0
No formal schooling
Doesn't matter
Primary education
Secondary education
Non-democratic Preferable
Post-secondary
University education
Democracy preferable
Support for Democracy by age group in Zambia: 2005
70
67
66
65
61
60
60
50
40
30
29
27
25
22
23
20
12
10
15
8
10
10
42-49 years
50 and above
0
18-25 years
Doesn't matter
26-33 years
34-41 years
Non-democratic Preferable
Democracy preferable
Which of the following statements is closest to your view?
 Statement A: We should choose our leaders in this country through
regular; open and honest elections.
 Statement B: Since elections sometimes produce bad results, we
Should adopt other methods for choosing this country’s leaders.
Choosing leaders
60
55
50
40
32
30
20
7
10
5
0
Agree very strongly with A
Agree with B
Agree with A
Agree very strongly with B
Rejection of Authoritarian rule in Zambia: 1999 - 2005
100
90
95
91
80
80
92
90
91
85
86
72
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1999
Reject military rule
2003
Reject one-man rule
2005
Reject one-party rule
SATISFACTION WITH DEMOCRACY
In your opinion, how much of a
democracy is Zambia today?
44
45
40
Not a democracy
35
Democracy with
major problems
Democracy but with
minor problems
A full democracy
30
25
22
20
15
10
10
5
0
5
9
Don't know
Overall, how satisfied are you with the
way democracy works in Zambia?
40
37
35
30
25
20
21
20
16
15
10
5
0
5
Not at all satisfied
Not very satisfied
Fairly satisfied
Very satisfied
Don't know
In your opinion, how likely is it that Zambia
will remain a democratic country?
37
40
35
30
26
25
25
20
15
10
5
8
4
0
4th Qtr
Not at all likely
Not very likely
Likely
Very likely
Don't know
POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
Here is a list of actions that people sometimes
take as citizens. For each of these, please tell
me whether you, personally, have done any of
these things during the past year.
 Attended a community meeting?
 Joined with others to raise an issue?
 Attended a demonstration or a protest march?
Political Participation
60
52
50
47
40
38
35
30 30
30
24
20
10
18
10
6
8
2
0
meeting
No - would never
Once or twice
Joiners
demo/Protest
No - would if had a chance
Several times/Often
Political Awareness of Incumbents
Can you tell me the name of your
Member of Parliament?
63
70
60
50
40
27
30
20
10
6
4
0
1st Qtr
Know but can't remember
Correct name
Incorrect guess
Don't know
Can you tell me the name of your
Local Government Councillor?
46
50
35
40
30
20
10
13
6
0
1st Qtr
Know but can't remember
Correct name
Incorrect guess
Don't know
FORMAL CONTACTING
During the past year, how often have you
contacted a Local Councillor about some important
problem or to give them your views?
80
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
11
10
7
2
0
Never
Only once
A few times
Often
During the past year, how often have you
contacted a Member of Parliament about some
important problem or to give them your views?
88
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
8
10
3
0
A few times
Often
0
Never
Only once
During the past year, how often have you contacted an
official of a Government Ministry about some important
problem or to give them your views?
89
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
6
10
4
1
A few times
Often
0
Never
Only once
INSTITUTIONAL TRUST
How much do you trust each of the following, or
haven’t you heard enough about them to say: your
elected Councillor?
40
40
30
21
21
20
12
10
6
0
Not at all
Somewhat
Don't know/Haven't heard enough
Just a little
A lot
SELECTED VIEWS ON CORRUPTION
How many of the following people do you think are
involved in corruption, or haven’t you heard enough
about them to say?
Elected Councillors?
48
50
40
28
30
20
10
8
7
0
None
Most of them
Don't know/Haven't heard enough
Some of them
All of them
9
Local Government Officials?
50
43
40
34
30
20
11
10
6
6
0
None
Most of them
Don't know/Haven't heard enough
Some of them
All of them
Putting it all together
• Sufficient demand for democracy
• Inadequate supply of democracy
• Insufficient interaction between communities and local
officials
• Somewhat low levels of institutional trust (Councillors)
• Inadequate and unreliable local authority financing
• General dissatisfaction about local authority performance
(communities)
• Some resistance to fulfil statutory obligations in a timely
manner (communities)
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
Some Ideas
• Enhance the appreciation of democratic decentralisation
(political decentralisation, or devolution) in MDAs, and
communities
• Statutory prescription for minimum levels of formal interaction
between elected Councillors and their constituents
(communities)
• Enhance the supply of democratic governance at the local
authority level
• Ensure adequate appreciation of the principal role of
communities in democratic decentralisation
• Assist communities to articulate their interests, carry out their
mandates and responsibilities >> effectively participate as
citizens in democratic processes
• Ensure sufficient resources to anchor the process of
decentralisation
For More Information on Afrobarometer:
including
downloadable versions of
questionnaires, data sets, results and publications
see
www.afrobarometer.org
You can also contact:
Dr. Peter Kaumba Lolojih at
[email protected]
Tel: 295150 (Office); 294030 (Home)
Mobile: 0955-831969
THANK YOU