Deepening decentralization in Zambia: Political economy constraints and opportunities for reform

Abstract

established in 1975, provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition. IFPRI's strategic research aims to foster a climate-resilient and sustainable food supply; promote healthy diets and nutrition for all; build inclusive and efficient markets, trade systems, and food industries; transform agricultural and rural economies; and strengthen institutions and governance. Gender is integrated in all the Institute's work. Partnerships, communications, capacity strengthening, and data and knowledge management are essential components to translate IFPRI's research from action to impact. The Institute's regional and country programs play a critical role in responding to demand for food policy research and in delivering holistic support for country-led development. IFPRI collaborates with partners around the world.

The politics of urban governance in sub-Saharan Africa

“…He suggests that such politicization of cities partially accounts for the country's poor and uneven record of urban service delivery (see also Masuku and Jili 2019). In a study of 16 councils in Zambia, including four city councils, Resnick et al(2019) detail the many ways in which elected ward councillors bypass the decisions of local bureaucrats or lobby the mayor to do so.…”

“…In the area of waste management, which involves a complex range of activities from separation, transport, disposal, destruction, and recycling, there have been a multiplicity of formal and informal actors involved and predictably, more mixed results. Many cities in the region, from Accra, Lusaka, and Maputo, tend to employ informal organizations and small-scale enterprises with minimal equipment, such as handcarts, to focus on collection in low-income neighbourhoods; large-scale private operators may target middle-income neighbourhoods and the public sector collects from central business districts (Grest et al 2013;Resnick et al 2019). The outcome, as shown in Ghana, can sometimes be unproductive competition, unequal outcomes, and a multiplicity of contracts from city governments with minimal accountability (Cities Alliance 2017).…”

“…Sometimes these have been imposed from the top-down. Examples include the provision in Zambia's 2016 Local Governance Act for the creation of citizen-based Ward Development Committees to help inform council development plans (Resnick et al 2019) and a law on decentralization in Madagascar that requires local governments to create consultative platforms with civil society on local development plans (Bertelsmann Stiftung 2018). In other instances, there are innovations driven by citizens, including the development of District League Tables in Ghana to monitor and compare how well different district assemblies perform at delivering services, or BudgIT, which provides data on how local governments spend money in Nigeria.…”

The politics and governance of informal food retail in urban Africa

“…We always contribute money towards garbage collection in this market, but the private waste collectors hired by cadres complain of not being paid on time. As a result, garbage is not collected on regular basis" (cited in Resnick, Siame, et al, 2019).…”

Embracing political economy to enhance policy influence: Lessons from PIM research

“…For instance, between 2008, when IFPRI's Malawi country program began, and 2020, the country's minister of agriculture has changed nine times, with a concurrent churning of directors and permanent secretaries. Using the case of Zambia, Resnick et al (2019) have shown that rapid and often unexpected turnover of civil servants within local government also affects service provision and bureaucratic morale.…”