Volume 8 Number 1 September 2014

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://umispace.umi.ac.ug/handle/20.500.12305/351

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Browsing Volume 8 Number 1 September 2014 by Subject "Accountability"

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    Democratic deficits and public confidence in public institutions in Uganda: Implications of accountability on public confidence in the Uganda Local Government Institution
    (Uganda Management Institute, 2014-09) Kiwanuka, Michael
    There is a general belief by scholars and practitioners alike that the notable declining public confidence in public institutions in developing countries like Uganda is a consequence of democratic deficits in institutional governance. This belief is more so, because democratic deficits like deficiencies in accountability systems, stifles capacities of democratic systems to evolve and reform into effective and legitimate agents of citizens. Accountability is a fundamental virtue of good governance and an important cornerstone in democratic systems. The paper analyzes the impact of accountability on public confidence within the context of Uganda’s local government Institution. The analysis of accountability practices and experiences suggests that public confidence in the institution of local governments in Uganda is on the down ward trend. This is partly due to the inherent democratic deficits with respect to accountability deficiencies in local government institutions. The paper concludes that: the widening gap between citizen preferences and services delivered; the big social service backlogs; the mockery of citizen participation; and high levels of corruption are already having a big toll on citizens’ trust and eroding public confidence in the local government institution. The paper recommends that developing countries like Uganda should demonstrate commitment to social accountability by strengthening the citizen voice and support meaningful engagement of non-state actors alongside formal government systems.
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    Political decentralization and service delivery: Evidence from Agago District, Uganda
    (Uganda Management Institute, 2014-09) Obicci, Peter Adoko
    Does political decentralization improve the provision of service delivery? Many developing countries have taken to political decentralization as an instrument of development that plays a central role in increasing citizens’ involvement in policy development and decision making as well as holding their leaders to account. However, the basis upon which it can be relied upon to improve service delivery remains a big puzzle to many practitioners. This study uses the factors of decision making, participation and accountability to uncover how political decentralization can promote service delivery. Based on intensive interviews with local stakeholders in ten sampled local governments in Agago District in Northern Uganda as well as survey, the study uncovered a complex interplay of conditions that impact service delivery in a political decentralization dispensation. The results reveal that political decentralization can be used as an instrument to promote the provision of service delivery. Furthermore, decentralization is shown to have had significant effect on service delivery in the ten local governments examined in the study. However, the study needs generalization on a larger scale.