A sequential theory of decentralization i propose a sequential theory of decentralization that has three main characteristics. Indeed the above background informed the structure form and content of. This article assesses how the district assemblies in ghanas fourth republic have exercised political, administrative, and fiscal powers transferred to. Effectiveness of decentralization in ghana james a. Government of ghana intergovernmental fiscal decentralisation framework english abstract. Challenges of ghanas decentralisation process news ghana. Ghanas authoritative book on decentralisation launched.
Ghana because of the triangular operation of multiplicities of power, knowledge, and truth regimes at the local, national and international scale. The local government in ghana has a long history, which predates colonialism. Its limitations as a decentralisation and participatory planning strategy and prospects for the future. Nov 02, 2017 professor kwamena ahwoi, one of the prime architects of ghanas decentralisation programme, has immortalised his rich knowledge and experiences in a 360 pagebook, to guide the nation in its efforts to make governance more participatory and accessible to every stakeholder. Impact of fiscal decentralization on quality financial reporting at the districts in ghana by abdulmalik seidu zakaria ma, university of ghana, 2009 bsc, central university college, ghana, 2005 dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of doctor of philosophy public policy and administration. The primary goal of this framework is to provide a comprehensive road map which has broad based support for the vision of fiscal decentralisation as well as the strategies to meet that vision. An important component of the reform is to increase the fiscal autonomy of local authorities. Third, decentralization of expenditure needs to be accompanied by sufficient decentralization of revenue. Theory as reform james edwin kee, professor of public policy and public administration the george washington university abstract the last decade has seen a renewed interest in the concept of fiscal decentralization or fiscal federalism. Usaidghana country development cooperation strategy. It provides an overview of fiscal decentralization for undp officers involved in policy debates on restructuring intergovernmental fiscal. It uses a stochastic frontier method to estimate timevarying efficiency coefficients.
The politics of decentralization in africa a comparative analysis stephen n. Absent those conditions, fiscal decentralization can worsen the efficiency of public service delivery. At the present the government of ghana gog is committed to strengthen the implementation of decentralization and for that purpose revise and strengthen the policy and regulatory framework governing decentralization. Fiscal decentralization and the efficiency of public service. Their explanation is that subnational governments spend a larger portion of their budgets on items such as salaries and wages and welfare that negatively affect economic growth when compared to the effect of capital expenditure on infrastructure. This paper deals with ghana experience in fiscal decentralization. Introduction the ghana statistical service estimates that 86.
It is intended primarily for policymakers, in this case meaning civil servants and their. It also establishes major areas of relationship between the local and central government. Here is some general information about you new host country the flag the coat of arms the national anthem maps data on ghana introduction geography climate people education history ghanas presidents government and political conditions economy foreign relations links the flag of ghana. Falleti 3 and contributions to the literature on decentralization. From a humble start in 2009, mobile money solutions now account for. Pdf the governance work of the commonwealth secretariat has a particular focus on public sector development in africa and small states. The politics of fiscal decentralization in ghana the canadian. The impact of fiscal decentralisation on local economic. Abstract tanzania is currently implementing a local government reform aimed at improving public service delivery. Rethinking fiscal decentralization policies in developing. In addition the 1992 constitution of ghana provides that power and decision making should devolve on the decentralized authorities. The global system of today also calls for increased decentralization as a guarantee of democratic governance.
Ghana has over the last few decades embraced decentralisation in principle, as a way of promoting inclusive, efficient, accountable and bottomup locallevel governance. An analysis of the early years of the fund robinson d. Reducing poverty through fiscal decentralization in ghana and beyond. In ghana, lgs are not practically assigned revenue sources matching their expenditure assignments.
This thesis examined the impact of fiscal decentralisation on local economic development in ghana, evidence from the ketu south municipal assembly ksma. The support for decentralisation reforms sfdr project supports the implementation of decentralisation reforms in ghana in 60 municipalities nationwide. This background on decentralization is within the framework of the preparation, by the division of rural development sda of fao, the world bank, and others of an informational and analytical tool, the online sourcebook on decentralization and local development, which aims to take stock of decentralization processes both from the conceptual. Usaidghana country development cooperation strategy 1 development context ghanas economic progress over the last 20 years has been laudable. What about donor support, loans and grants obtained by the centre since 7. Pdf the challenges of central government fiscal and financial. I concluded that although nationstates remains a necessary causal link in fiscal decentralization policy process in ghana, direct and indirect international involvement have profound effect on these. Many experts and stakeholders in local governance turned up at the launch, on tuesday, in accra. The decentralisation policy of ghana devolves power, functions and responsibility as well as human and financial resources from the central government to the district level.
In this paper, we look beyond the rhetorics on the different paradigms that ghana should. It is structured into a number of parts as follows. Practices and challenges of fiscal decentralisation in africa. Fiscal decentralization and the efficiency of public. Decentralization of the health sector in ghana, zambia, uganda and the philippines country basic type of year initiated levels special elements decentralization ghana delegation to 1996 ghana 10 regional health ghs overseen by a.
The case study research design was used and the qualitative research method was adopted to collect and. The case study research design was used and the qualitative research method was adopted to collect and analyze data from twentyfive 25 respondents. Pwc 2016 ghana banking survey 2 vish ashiagbor country senior partner s even years after the launch of the first mobile money solution in ghana, the service can be said to be a game changer in the countrys financial services industry. Critical overview of the urban informal economy in ghana by julian haug ghana office. Said boakye senior research fellow institute for fiscal studies ifs accra, ghana. Decentralization in kenya background note september 2010. To summarize the major fiscal decentralization issues. Decentralization of health systems in ghana, zambia, uganda. Ghana is a constitutional republic with two spheres of government. And from the accumulation of these local, active, persnickety freedoms, is born the most efficient counterweight against the. This research investigated the extent to which the decentralization policy of ghana which has been implemented since 1988 conforms to international best practice, the degree to which the policy lends itself to achieving its objectives and the extent to which the implementation has achieved policy objectives.
Fiscal decentralisation kenneth davey introduction fiscal decentralisation comprises the financial aspects of devolution to regional and local government. Section 6 applies the results to predict gdp per capita growth rates for ghana until 2030 and section 7 summarizes and concludes. Fiscal decentralization in ghana was designed to enable local authorities have control over their own affairs. Decentralization and governance in ghana request pdf. The country is divided into ten administrative units or regions, each headed by a regional minister appointed. Financial sector reforms and bank performance in ghana. George break 1967 the mobility of individual economic units among different localities places. Kenya, ghana, ethiopia, madagascar, botswana, eritrea. On the one hand, a historical overview of the development of the informal economy in ghana is given as well as an answer to the question why the informal economy took the center stage of the development community in the last years. Effectiveness of decentralization in ghana their obligations and attract able and competent officers ministry of local government. Pwc 2016 ghana banking survey 4 t he level of awareness and trust so far exhibited by participants in the mobile money industry especially those in the informal sector who account for the larger proportion of the unbanked ghanaian population gives hope that mobile money operations will deepen financial inclusion. This comes after a halfcentury of fiscal centralization in most. Distribution of conditional transfers contents acknowledgements 3 1. The world bank washington, dc august 2003 the findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the.
Usaidghana country development cooperation strategy 202017. Local government is enshrined in the constitution, as is decentralisation, and the main relevant legislation is the local government act 1993 act 462. Economic growth has averaged more than six percent each year and the country is among the few in africa expected to meet the millennium development goal mdg of halving the poverty rate by 2015. Decentralization and governance in the ghana health sector. Various legal frameworks in ghana underpinning decentralization and local governance were utilized to extrapolate challenges of central government fiscal and. Professor kwamena ahwoi, one of the prime architects of ghanas decentralisation programme, has immortalised his rich knowledge and experiences in a 360 pagebook, to guide the nation in its efforts to make governance more participatory and accessible to every stakeholder. Ghana has experimented with different models of government, and yet the country continues to suffer from concomitant economic mismanagement and challenges in its markets. This paper explores the impact of fiscal decentralization on the efficiency of public service delivery. The second section discusses the implications on the structure and functions of government. Fiscal decentralisation under the district assemblies common fund dacf in ghana is supposed to transfer more financial resources from the centre to the districts, and to provide fiscal autonomy. Fiscal decentralization defines how and in what way expenditures and revenues are organized between and across different levels of government in the.
On the other hand, we will look at the economic and social structure of. Learn more about the ghana economy, including the population of ghana, gdp, facts, trade, business, inflation and other data and analysis on its economy from the index of economic freedom. This research investigated the extent to which the decentralization policy of ghana which has been implemented since 1988 conforms to international best practice, the degree to which the policy lends itself to achieving its objectives and the extent to which. Ghanas constitution of 1992 with amendments through 1996.
Critical overview of the urban informal economy in ghana. A multilevel approach is used to promote coordination mechanisms between regional, local and national stakeholders. Decentralization of health systems in ghana, zambia. Post independence era problems that developed as a result of this dual central and local administration included encroachment on the rights and responsibilities of the weaker local. Ghanas fiscal structure prior to 1983 had generally been characterized by low revenue. Effective revenue mobilisation by districts assemblies. Ghana inherited the decentralization policy as a legacy of british policy of the indirect rule. Section 5prohibition of partnerships exceeding 20 members no company, association or partnership consisting of more than twenty persons shall be formed for the purpose of carrying on any business that has for its object the acquisition of gain by the. Fiscal decentralisation overseas development institute.
The third is on public financial management, and the fourth and final section is on implementation issues. Decentralization has, not only an administrative value, but also a civic dimension, since it increases the opportunities for citizens to take interest in public affairs. As a result, ghana undertook a number of reforms prescribed by the international monetary fund imf and the world bank under the economic recovery programme erp and the structural adjustment programme sap. The institute for democratic governance ideg on wednesday held a national forum on the successes and challenges of the decentralisation process in ghana. Impact of fiscal decentralization on quality financial.
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