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The Rise and Fall of Decentralization in Contemporary Uganda

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  • Elliott Green

Abstract

There has long been an emphasis on the importance of decentralization in providing better quality public services in the developing world. In order to assess the effectiveness of decentralization I examine here the case study of Uganda, which has seen major decentralization of power over the last quarter-century. Initial excitement about Uganda's decentralization programme has, however, tapered off in recent years due to a number of problems outlined here.

Suggested Citation

  • Elliott Green, 2013. "The Rise and Fall of Decentralization in Contemporary Uganda," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2013-078, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2013-078
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    File URL: https://www.wider.unu.edu/sites/default/files/WP2013-078.pdf
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    1. Francis, Paul & James, Robert, 2003. "Balancing Rural Poverty Reduction and Citizen Participation: The Contradictions of Uganda's Decentralization Program," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 31(2), pages 325-337, February.
    2. Mr. John J Matovu & Duanjie Chen & Ritva Reinikka-Soininen, 2001. "A Quest for Revenue and Tax Incidence in Uganda," IMF Working Papers 2001/024, International Monetary Fund.
    3. Faguet, Jean-Paul, 2004. "Does decentralization increase government responsiveness to local needs?: Evidence from Bolivia," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(3-4), pages 867-893, March.
    4. Deininger, Klaus & Mpuga, Paul, 2005. "Does Greater Accountability Improve the Quality of Public Service Delivery? Evidence from Uganda," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 171-191, January.
    5. Tim Allen & Suzette Heald, 2004. "HIV|AIDS policy in Africa: what has worked in Uganda and what has failed in Botswana?," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 16(8), pages 1141-1154.
    6. Ritva Reinikka & Jakob Svensson, 2004. "Local Capture: Evidence from a Central Government Transfer Program in Uganda," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 119(2), pages 679-705.
    7. repec:unu:wpaper:wp2012-51 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Seabright, Paul, 1996. "Accountability and decentralisation in government: An incomplete contracts model," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 40(1), pages 61-89, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Adventino Banjwa, 2022. "The making (and unmaking) of Uganda's ethnic-based decentralization programme," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2022-167, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).

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