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Background papers and case studies on decentralised
service delivery are now available online to be downloaded. They were
written for a Ford Foundation internal learning seminar called "New
Approaches to Decentralized Services Delivery", held in Santiago,
Chile, from 16-20 March, 2003.
These resources cover co-production and privatization
issues from various regions and contexts and offer interesting insights
to people and organisations working in the area.
Local-Global Links: International Financial Institutions
and Local Governments (2003)
Nancy Alexander
Citizens' Network on Essential Services (CNES), USA
This paper describes how the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
and the World Bank activities affect local governments and delivery of
basic public services. It also assesses how these international financial
institutions (IFIs) use their leverage over governments in developing
countries to promote the interests of their major shareholders. Finally,
it describes how, the future of local governments and service delivery
is being shaped by the rules of the World Trade Organization. The author
concludes that decentralization should not necessarily result in private
provision by default. But where private provision is pursued, negotiations
should be transparent and citizens should be fully engaged in decisions
relating to the provision of essential services and informed about the
pros and cons of policy options. (Adapted from the Executive Summary)
 Executive
Summary
Background
Paper
Appendix
to this study
Co-production as a Form of Service Delivery: Community
policing in Alexandra township (2003)
Shauna Mottiar and Fiona White
Centre for Policy Studies (CPS), Johannesburg , South Africa
This study investigates a policing community forum for the purpose of
assessing and monitoring co-production initiatives as a form of service
delivery where citizens act jointly with public entities in order to provide
a service. In South Africa, increased levels of crime and violence have
put great strain on the South African Police Service which, coupled with
other challenges like inadequate training, bad working conditions and
limited legitimacy among citizens, has brought about the necessity of
exploring co-production in policing services resulting in community policing.
Alongside the actual delivery of the policing service, community policing
allows for a wide range of citizen participation, which is in keeping
with democratic ideals espoused in the co-production model. The author
looks at the implementation of community policing forums in South Africa,
their potentials and their main challenges and looks at one particular
case study in the Alexandra township.
Participation, Local Governance and Decentralised
Service Delivery (2003)
Mark Robinson
Institute of Development Studies, Sussex, UK
This paper is primarily concerned with the context of democratic decentralisation,
with a specific focus on the equity and social justice concerns of decentralised
service delivery. It is organised in 4 sections. Section 1 introduces
the concept of decentralisation with a specific focus on service delivery.
Section 2 considers the expected benefits of decentralisation for service
delivery outcomes and reviews the available evidence on various sectors
and regions, concluding that equity and social justice objectives are
rarely achieved in practice. Section 3 advances a series of propositions
concerning the institutional, political and technical dimensions of an
approach to decentralised service delivery that can be conducive to improved
outcomes. Section 4 advances some conclusions and implications for practice.
Approaches to Basic Service Delivery: Privatisation,
Decentralisation, and Equity (2003)
Cecilia Ugaz
United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD)
The objective of this paper is to revisit some of the most salient features
and policies affecting basic service delivery in developing countries.
Particular emphasis is placed on linking privatisation and decentralisation
as the way these policies have been implemented which has repercussions
on the way services are being provided and, in turn, conditions the access
of those services by poor people. This paper also explores the wealth
of experimentation going on in the area of basic service provision. Through
presenting examples from various literatures the paper aims to draw out
some of the implications regarding the sustainability of approaches currently
being implemented and their consequences for equity. One of the concluding
remarks highlights that co-production often emerges as a possible alternative
to improve service delivery, but that in order for it to work greater
citizen participation and improved innovation must be present as well
as political accountability.
Service Delivery Alternatives: The water concession
in Nelspruit, South Africa (2003)
Laïla Smith with Shauna Mottiar and Fiona White
Centre for Policy Studies (CPS), Johannesburg , South Africa
For some decades local authorities in South Africa have had to meet growing
demands for the delivery of cheap, good quality and widely accessible
services while having to cope with simultaneous cuts in fiscal transfers
from national governments. In order to face these challenges they've had
to embark in new private sector partnerships. Government regulations are
meant to guide local authorities on how to form partnerships with the
private sector while still retaining government obligations to the public,
however there are problems and difficulties. This paper describes how
in Nelspruit, the capital of the province of Mpumulanga in South Africa,
local authorities decided to sell the water concession to a private multinational
company. The challenges and difficulties encountered as well as the power
dynamics between the main actors in the initiative, namely local authorities,
concessionaire, politicians, the workforce and the community are all explored
and analysed here.
Municipal Services Policy in Mexico. Recent cases
and tendencies (2003)
Rodolfo García Del Castillo
CIDE (Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas), Mexico,
D.F.
During the 1990s, the tendency towards decentralization in Mexico has
strengthened, but structural conditions have limited the financial and
administrative capacities of local governments to provide good quality
services. In this context, though, municipalities have become creative
in finding alternatives for resolving demands and confronting challenges.
This paper attempts to explain the tendencies characterizing the innovative
programs carried out by Mexico's municipal governments. Such tendencies
include efforts at administrative improvements, client orientation and
expenditure focus, incorporation of the private sector, strategic growth
perspective and the incorporation of citizen participation. Although some
structural problems cannot be solved at local level and must be confronted
by the central government, being creative locally in finding solutions
and sharing ideas and experiences through networking have helped municipalities
confront problems and find solutions through learning and experimentation.
Citizens Voluntary Initiative for the City
(CIVIC) (2003)
S.Vishwanath
CIVIC, Bangalore, India
This paper describes an initiative in the Indian City of Bangalore called
Citizens Voluntary Initiative for the City (CIVIC). CIVIC Bangalore was
formed by people from a variety of backgrounds with the objective of generating
and disseminating empowering information to the citizens of Bangalore,
so that they can have better control over the processes of decision-making
that affect their lives. Methods used by the group include information
sharing, lobbying, pressing for public meetings/hearings to improve transparency
and mobilise public opinion, improvement and decentralisation of civic
services in a way that supports local groups and their initiatives. The
paper describes their activities and the key issues that CIVIC Bangalore
confronts. Since CIVIC Bangalore creation, the provision of public services
like city transportation and water has improved. And the involvement of
citizens in solid waste management has meant a significant improvement
in the way waste is managed at neighbourhood and city level.
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