Case Situation for Conducting a Decentralization Assignment
Many of us have undertaken difficult and challenging assignments in developing decentralization policies and devising programs to implement decentralization. It seems to me though there are few real case studies on how to prepare for and conduct an assignment. I would like to hear from some fellow practitioners how they go about doing this. The following is a case situation representing some features that you might commonly come across in undertaking a decentralization assignment or mission.
I would like to hear (1) what information you would like to get for this assignment (2) how you would prepare for the assignment, and (3) what strategy or approach you might use to develop a successful decentralization policy and program.
Country Situation:
The country has not undertaken an effective level of decentralization although much political commitment, some analysis, and other demonstrations that decentralization should be implemented have been supposedly been done over the past decade. A new government has come to power following the elections and it campaigned on a promise to implement decentralization policies as a high priority.
The political program of the new government consists mainly of the following:
1. Commitment to restructure the administrative-territorial divisions and reduce the number of local government units, although it is not specified how this would be done.
2. Open up a more consultative relationship between the central and local governments on these policies affecting the local governments.
3. No decentralization policy document has been formulated or adopted by the new government.
The present situation with the local governments is as follows:
4. A new Ministry with responsibility to develop and implement this new decentralization has been appointed with limited staffing and resources.
5. At present there is a substantial legal framework that defines the local government system, but much of this would have to be changed to implement decentralization.
6. The expenditure assignments are not clearly defined with much confusion over the shared functions of education, health, transportation and other functions.
7. There is low level of own source revenues at the local government level, the property tax is not implemented, and tax collection capacity is very low in most local governments. The LGU revenues are about 2.1% of GDP and have been declining as well as the absolute total LGU revenues over the past five years.
8. The local governments mainly rely on the unconditional grants and these are based on complex formula and some evidence of political favoritism in awarding of grants.
9. The effort to develop a new decentralization policy is made difficult by the fact that the political opposition is not willing to participate in parliament committee or other working groups to develop a dialogue and consensus on changing the local government system.
10. There are a number of local government associations with limited capabilities to represent the interests of the local governments and these associations are linked to either the government party or the political opposition and generally follow their lead.
In assessing this situation which of the following statements reflect your initial impression: (please vote in the poll section above)
1. This looks like mission impossible, best not to take the assignment
2. There could be some possibilities to make an incremental change in the local government system that is worth pursuing
3. Efforts should first be made to reconcile the government and political opposition differences to determine if there are common areas where some improvements can be made.
4. Support the new government program even over the political opposition and get some major changes to the local government system
Poll