Document Library

Key Text To What Extent Can Decentralised Forms of Government Enhance the Development of Pro-Poor Policies and Improve Poverty-Alleviation Outcomes?

Author: R C Crook and A Sturla Sverrisson
Date: 1999
Size: 61 pages (185 KB)

Access full text: available online

Summary

Decentralisation is key to thinking about the pro-poor impact of different regime types. However, is the poverty alleviation potential of decentralisation dependent upon regime-type or can it be judged independently? This paper examines the general responsiveness of decentralised government to the needs of the poor and questions whether there is a systematic relationship between variations in responsiveness and the political and regime context of decentralised systems.

Focusing on political and administrative decentralisation, the authors survey developing countries across all continents that have introduced decentralisation reforms since the mid 1980s. The paper examines the impact of decentralisation on four main areas of poverty: pro-poor growth (changes in the levels of economic activity), social equity, human development (improvements in the quality of life), and spatial or inter- regional inequality.

The results are mixed. Case studies show that in practice while some decentralisation schemes perform positively, others perform poorly in terms of responsiveness to the poor and pro-poor development. The paper identifies four key factors which affect performance:

The relations between local and central government.
The effectiveness of enhanced participation on establishing accountability.
The type of system for allocating resources, both administrative and financial.
The length of time a system has been in operation.

The review of case studies provides a number of policy relevant implications:

Central government must support decentralised systems with adequate administrative and financial resources as well as legal powers.
Central government needs to have the capacity and commitment to control and monitor financial probity and accountability of policy implementation, particularly relating to poverty reduction.
Central government must have an ideological commitment to pro-poor policies and be prepared to actively engage in local politics.
Fair and competitive elections are a key factor in developing public accountability.
Administrative and financial resources must be allocated (funding must be secured and earmarked, poverty programmes/social funds must be developed, a hierarchy of authorities must be established).
Sufficient time must be taken to establish the reform (at least ten to fifteen years).
Overall, accountability and responsiveness to the poor is most likely to emerge locally when representation of their interests is supported externally.

Access full text: available online

Source: Crook, R.C., and Sturla Sverrisson, A. 1999, 'To What Extent Can Decentralised Forms of Government Enhance the Development of Pro-Poor Policies and Improve Poverty-Alleviation Outcomes?'
Author: Institute of Development Studies , http://www.ids.ac.uk/ids