Administrative Decentralisation

26
Harmonisation, Decentralisation and Local Governance

description

Administrative Decentralisation. Harmonisation, Decentralisation and Local Governance. Content. What is administrative decentralisation? Forms Subsidiarity principle Exercise Implementation challenges Vertical and horizontal coordination Human resource issues at the local level - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Transcript of Administrative Decentralisation

Page 1: Administrative  Decentralisation

Harmonisation, Decentralisation and Local Governance

Page 2: Administrative  Decentralisation

ContentWhat is administrative decentralisation?FormsSubsidiarity principleExerciseImplementation challengesVertical and horizontal coordinationHuman resource issues at the local levelCapacity development

Page 3: Administrative  Decentralisation

What is it?Administrative decentralisation is the transfer

of responsibility for planning, financing and managing public functions to:

Field units of government agenciesSubordinate units or levels of governmentSemi-autonomous public authorities or

corporations Areawide, regional or functional

authorities

Page 4: Administrative  Decentralisation

Multilevel governance

Administrative decentralisation seeks to redistribute authority, responsibility and financial resources for providing public services among different levels of government.

Page 5: Administrative  Decentralisation

FormsDeconcentration

Shifting decision-making power to central government officials located outside the capital, fully accountable to the center

DelegationShifting responsibilities to semi-autonomous government bodies or NGOs ultimately fully accountable to the center(service agencies, housing authorities, school districts etc)

Devolution Shifting fiscal powers and decision-making responsibilities to subnational governments in which subnational governments are granted substantive decision-making authority

Page 6: Administrative  Decentralisation

Subsidiarity

Subsidiarity principle as starting point for re-organising public functions:Government services should be provided at the lowest level of government that can do so efficiently.

Page 7: Administrative  Decentralisation

Subsidiarity principleEuropean Charter on Local Self-Government, article

4:*Public responsibilities shall generally be exercised,

in preference, by those authorities which are closest to the citizen. Allocation of responsibility to another authority should weigh up the extent and nature of the task and requirements of efficiency and economy.

* Powers given to local authorities shall normally be full and exclusive. They may not be undermined or limited by another, central or regional, authority except as provided for by the law.

Page 8: Administrative  Decentralisation

Subsidiarity principle in practiceResponsibility for policy and regulation:

often central governmentResponsibility for financing: local social

services most often financed centrally, local economic functions can be financed locally

Responsibility for provision of the service: can often be done by local authorities

Delivery of the service: either local government or private sector 

Page 9: Administrative  Decentralisation

Decentralised service delivery

Functions often devolved to subnational government:

Basic educationBasic health servicesAgricultural extensionRural water supplyLocal roadsUrban services (public utilities, sanitation)

Page 10: Administrative  Decentralisation

Finding the appropriate mix

Before defining the most appropriate level of government to perform the service, it is important to carefully analyse the types of decentralisation already present in order to tailor policy plans to existing structures.

Page 11: Administrative  Decentralisation

Assess the existing forms of administrative decentralisation in the sector you work in. Identify the responsibilities of the various government levels for: - Policy & regulation-Financing-Provision of the service-Delivery of the service

Page 12: Administrative  Decentralisation

Implementation challenges Shifting of roles and powers between national

and subnational government (civil service reform)

Long-lasting institutional relationships destabilised for better or worse

Concerted efforts necessary to coordinate better between units of government

Local challenges for human resourcesCapacity support at local level (to assume

responsibility for new functions) ánd national level (to better coordinate and supervise)

Page 13: Administrative  Decentralisation

Need for coordination-When national governments decentralise

responsibilities, they retain important policy and supervisory roles.

- Central government has to promote and sustain decentralisation by developing appropriate and effective national policies and regulations for decentralisation.

- Coordination becomes more complicated in case of shared rather than exclusive responsibilities!

Page 14: Administrative  Decentralisation

Vertical and horizontal coordination

Vertical coordination: between different levels of government

Horizontal coordination: across similar levels of subnational (government)

Page 15: Administrative  Decentralisation

Vertical coordination - challengesHow to ensure a certain degree of monitoring

of quality of performance without compromising the newly found subnational decentralisation?

How to promote coordination without, de facto, end up facilitating re-centralisation?

Too much perceived ´quality control´ may in the end erode the newly found discretion of la´s.

Plenty of grey areas for interpretation and power struggles.

Page 16: Administrative  Decentralisation

Vertical coordination - solutions

Legal and regulatory framework supported by:

A permanent body with proper representation at various levels to address concurrent coordination issues and to give subnational governments institutional space for defending their interests

Cabinet level actor (like Ministry of LG) charged exclusively with the implementation of decentralisation - across sectors

Page 17: Administrative  Decentralisation

The intermediate levelDecentralisation also has implications for the intermediate government level:

- Centre consciously disempowers intermediate levels seen as threats by transferring resources directly to local level, or:

- Intermediate levels are overly favoured, ultimately ending up reenacting the previous paternalistic role of the centre towards local level governments.

Page 18: Administrative  Decentralisation

Horizontal coordination- Subnational governments of the same level

who join as a group to represent and defend their interests:MunicipalitiesMayors or governorsChief executives and other professionals

Preferably a broad representation from across the national territory, but also regional associations

Page 19: Administrative  Decentralisation

Horizontal coordination - functions

Share lessons and experiences which might otherwise never see the public light or debate

Lobby to defend and promote wider interests of the collective group vis-a-vis central level

Form partnerships for the provision of local public services

Cooperate on a regional level in developing infrastructure and realising economic development

Page 20: Administrative  Decentralisation

Coordination lessonsWhen governments opt for decentralisation,

they must take into account implications for coordination (if unaddressed: tensions, rivalries and non- performance)

Coordination must also take place between intermediate and local level government (if not intermediate levels left in limbo or local levels at mercy of intermediate level)

Page 21: Administrative  Decentralisation

Human resources

Subnational governments having the power to determine terms of services, civil service structures and human resources policies (pay scales, performance based incentives, hiring and firing personnel) are better able to hire a civil service that matches community´s needs and budget constraints.

Page 22: Administrative  Decentralisation

Human resources - challenges

Skewed distribution of human resources because skilled civil servants mostly prefer to work for the more developed areas.

Shortages of skilled people: smaller units of government have less opportunity to build expertise. Exacerbated when responsibilities are diviedd up among smaller jurisdictions.

Page 23: Administrative  Decentralisation

Human resources - solutionsCadre system in which highly skilled civil

servants rotate between more and less developed regions (India)

Sending skilled servants from central government to less developed areas (Ethiopia)

Incentives to people who work in difficult/unpopular areas

Pooling resources for specialised staff or central consultancy services

Other examples from the group?

Page 24: Administrative  Decentralisation

Capacity DevelopmentSubnational levels have to adapt to their

newly assigned responsibilities in service delivery

National level has to create conditions, set standards and supervise

National government has to ´let go´

More on this during the afternoon discussion and on Day 4

Page 25: Administrative  Decentralisation

Government bureaucracy

Page 26: Administrative  Decentralisation

Responsibility