Does Decentralization have a Role in Poverty Reduction? The Ethiopian Experience Alene Agegnehu* and Ayele Behaylu**
* Department of Civic and Ethical studies, Adigrat University, Ethiopia, Po Box 50
** Department of Geography and Environmental studies, Adigrat University, Ethiopia
Abstract
The theoretical as well as practical linkage between decentralization and poverty reductions are attracts the intension of many donors, scholars and practitioners. Different viewpoints observed among scholars regarding the role and the linkage between decentralization and poverty reduction. The impact of decentralization on poverty reduction role in developing country remains insignificant as a result of the state is characterized by weak institutional
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2) What factors determine the successful impacts of decentralization on poverty reduction?
3) Does decentralization really reduced poverty? If not,
4) What factors are responsible for less impact of decentralization in Ethiopian poverty reduction program? In order to address the anticipated research question, secondary documents, national decentralization initiation manuals and various anti-poverty programs will be reviewed thoroughly. Accordingly, in Ethiopia decentralization has little impact on poverty reduction endeavors because of various interrelated factors. Among other, institutional and demographic factors such as alarming rate of population growth but lethargic economic growth, heavy hand control and centralization tendency of the ruling regime, lack of technical and financial Capacity of the regional and local governments, and lack of the culture of accountability, and transparency etc are some of the obstructing factors of decentralization not to yield viable role in poverty reduction.
Keywords: Decentralization, poverty reduction, anti-poverty
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It can create local administrative or field administrations under the direction of the higher government officials and are appointed by the centre and are subject to directives from above (UNDP, 1999). In this case resources such as public service positions or budgetary funds are reallocated from central government to a lower administrative unit and decision-making authority remains with the central government and local staffs are accountable to their upstream
Modern Bureaucracy in the United States serves to administer, gather information, conduct investigations, regulate, and license. Once set up, a bureaucracy is inherently conservative. The reason the bureaucracy was initiated may not continue to exist as a need in the future. The need or reason may change with a change in the times and the culture needs. A bureaucracy tends to make decisions that protect it and further it’s own existence, possibly apart from the wishes of the populace. It may not consistently reflect what might be optimal in terms of the needs and wants of the people. Local governments employ most of the United States civil servants. The 14 cabinet departments in the U.S. are run day-to-day by career civil servants, which have a great deal of discretionary authority.
71). Despite the fact that the primary objective of decentralization has been rapidly obtained as cities and villages currently revel a higher level of responsibilities, the level of transparency, liability, accountability, and strong clear administrative institutions are still missing, inflicting numerous challenges to the success of the decentralization procedure and impeding the combat against corruption (Strachan, 2014a, p. 14). The facts demonstrate that implementation of decentralization has actually introduced fresh agents and actors, while altering the course of actions of corruption at local levels, elevating possibilities/incentives for the authorities to conduct affairs in a corrupted manner (Strachan, 2014a, p. 14). Local governments currently take advantage of a broad variety of discretionary proxy and superintendence over the utilization of more than 50 percent of the government budget (Hunes et al., 2014, p. 46), while incorporating over-resourcing from timber and mineral and having no appropriate inner and outer accountability arrangements in
Most people of the society still blame the poor for their own predicament. They believe that "if there is a will there is a way". However, they do not think about their government that might had made bad decisions and policies that could actually harm successful development. This causes of poverty and inequality are usually less discussed and often neglected. We must recognize the effects poverty could have on the society and seek ways to create better understanding and resolve the issue before it is too late.
Over one billion people are living in poverty, lacking safe water, housing, food, and the ability to read. There is a high concentration of communities in poverty in Africa; particularly Central Africa. States that are considered in Central Africa are the following: Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Republic of Africa, Chad, Equatorial Guinea and the Congo. The majority of these Central African states’ economies are dependent on agriculture. As a result of this dependency, natural disasters, droughts and wars can displace subsistence farmer from their land resulting in poverty becoming even more prevalent and harder to come back from. Also with a history of dependency on farming there tends to be the trend of education not being a primary focus for the youth which is another factor into the stagnant poverty trend in Central Africa.
The overriding challenge Uganda faces today is the curse of poverty. Poverty, ‘the lack of something”(“Poverty.”), something can be materials, knowledge, or anything one justifies as necessary to living. Associated with poverty is the question of what causes poverty and how to stop poverty? The poverty rate in Uganda has declined from the year 2002 from the year 2009, which shows the percent of residents living in poverty has decreasing. Yet, the year is 2014 and the poverty rate could have drastically changed over the course of five years. One could assume the poverty rate would continue to decrease, which would be astounding and beneficial, but does poverty ever decrease enough to an acceptable level or even nonexistence? Poverty is a complex issue that continues to puzzle people from all across the globe. Poverty could possible be a question that is never truly answered.
There are many causes of poverty, starting with corruption. Corruption is a deceptive conduct by those in power who try to keep those who are in poverty trapped within their situations. When people think of corruption, they think of politics and rich leaders. Leaders from wealthy countries tell those who are already in poverty about loans and aid that they can offer. The less fortunate, not very aware of what they put themselves in are building a deeper hole with debt. The leaders from those wealthy countries are making more money also by taxing the less fortunate and receiving the money that they loaned to them. Those who are already poor try hard to provide for their families with the money they make from their jobs. Many of them lack education so it is hard to have well-paying jobs. “Poverty is the state for the majority of the world’s people and nations. Why is this? Is it enough to blame poor people for their own predicament?” (“Causes of Poverty” 5) Therefore, corruption is one cause of poverty.
...r pillars of public administration are equally important in the process of public administration and complement one another in the provision of quality public service. When public administrators have economy in mind they focus on the best combination of available resources to provide optimum public service. To ensure that public service is not limited to only a section of the public, the issue of equity is taken into consideration so that public interest is realized. Efficiency and effectiveness additionally go hand in hand in ensuring that allocated resources are used in the best possible manner to attain set goals. Thus whereas the first three public administration pillars – Economy, efficiency and effectiveness are concerned with how public service is provided the fourth and most recent addition (Equity) concerns with for whom public service is provided.
According to Sapru R.K. (2008) p370-371 the traditional ideal of public administration which inclined to be firm and bureaucratic was based on processes instead of outcomes and on setting procedures to follow instead of focusing on results. This paradigm can be regarded as an administration under formal control of the political control, constructed on a firmly ranked model of bureaucracy, run by permanent and neutral public servants, driven only by public concern. In emerging nations the administration was true bureaucracy meaning government by officers. In this perspective Smith (1996) p235-6 perceived that“the bureaucracy controls and manages the means of production through the government. It increases chances for bureaucratic careers by the creation of public figures,demanding public managers, marketing boards.
Many thing can have an impact on poverty. Some of these thing help to continue poverty and create more problems within poverty. Social stratification creates social classes that helps to divide society. The economy, as well, helps to create these classes. These classes then can create inequality, which helps to continue poverty.
Traditional public administration is traced back to the works of scholars like Max Weber, Woodrow Wilson and Fredrick Taylor. This form of administration was mostly influenced by Max Weber with his bureaucratic model and theory. Max Weber was a well-known sociologist born in Germany in the year 1864. He came up with his bureaucratic model as a way to try to improve management in organizations. ‘Weber emphasized on top-down control in the form of monocratic hierarchy that is a system of control in which policy is set at the top and carried out through a series of offices, whereby every manager and employee are to report to one person in top management and held accountable by that manager’ (Pfiffner, 2004, p. 1).
Under the POAS, the Chief Executive has the right to first nominate candidates that he thinks fit for the fourteen Political Officials posts, to the Central People’s Government who has the power over official appointment. However, unlike the previous system, where the Principal Officials were civil servants hired on permanent and pensionable terms; the Principal Officials under the POAS will be employed on contract, where their contract term will not exceed that of the Chief Executive whom they were nominated
Project Proposal on Poverty Reduction "Poverty reduction through pro-active, participatory, income- generating involvement of Rural youth in goat rearing" 1. Name of the project: Income generation through goat rearing. 2. Implementing organisation: Lemon grass 3.
On the other hand, the managerial or administrative decentralization approach refers to the delegation of administrative discretion, authority, and responsibility to administrative units that have jurisdiction over at least one function or program in a sub-national geographic territory. This is evidenced by the presence of a regional or field office for an administrative agency or b...
You ever wonder how the government goes about choosing candidates for specific agencies in the government? Well that’s what public personnel administration is for. Public personnel administration can be defined as the totality of government organization, policies, procedures and processes used to match the needs of public agencies with the people who staff those agencies. It is a branch of human resource management that is concerned with the acquisition, development, utilization, and compensation of a public organization’s workforce. The term includes three key words in which each has their own specific meanings. First, "public" refers to regional and local governmental agencies as well as non-profit ones. "Personnel" refers to both employees of an organization and to the function and administrative unit that is responsible for hiring. "Administration" refers to the way human resources manages public organizations in an effective and efficient way that helps the organization reach its many objectives and goals.