Delivery Of Basic Services Research Articles

Monitoring and Evaluation Processes Critical to Service Provision in South Africa’s Rural-Based Municipalities

South African municipalities are at the coalface of service provision, with communities relying on municipal performance for life-impacting services. The impact of effective service delivery or the lack thereof is particularly significant for the poor who generally lack safety nets to cushion themselves against the inadequacies of poorly resourced, mainly rural, municipalities. Although municipalities are distinct entities, they rely on other levels of government for important resources. Further, municipalities draw on the support of other non-government actors to provide public services. In such a scenario, where variously positioned actors contribute to the attainment of the public good, the role of monitoring and evaluation (M & E) is critical as it ensures compliance by each of the role-players in the effective delivery of basic services to communities. What are the complexities of service delivery and the processes through which M & E takes place in rural municipalities? How are the beneficiaries of municipal services included in M & E, and what might be the critical contributors to a functional and all-inclusive M & E process in rural-based municipalities? This conceptual paper, posited in complex systems theory, draws on relevant literature to answer these questions. The conclusion drawn is that while current M & E process are, mainly, monitored through statutory structures; non-statutory structures formed out of ad hoc self-organising models can provide useful forums for monitoring municipal service provision for sustainable livelihoods.

Does Digital India Deliver in Improving Government Front-End Services?

Common Service Centres (CSCs) have proliferated across the country under the Digital India Initiative. They are meant to provide easy access to several administrative services through private operators. We investigate if digitisation and privatization of these services improves citizen’s experiences and if this model is feasible in the long term in Jharkhand. Our survey findings show a mixed picture from the citizens perspective. Even though citizens like the accessibility aspect of CSCs, they do not get timely and low-cost delivery of basic government services. Overcharing is rampant and users faced several hardships in applying for services. From the perspective of CSC operators, the model of only commission-based payments is unsustainable. Based on our field work and talking to various stakeholders we make recommendations to improve the PK model that will expand the scope of these centres, and improve transparency and accountability.

Urban development falling into the gutter: sanitation planning and ‘anti-politics’ in Myanmar

Urban development, and particularly the improvement of basic services delivery, is still approached in mostly technical terms by international development actors and municipalities of the Global South. Sanitation planning, for instance, remains the realm of engineers despite decades of evidence that conventional approaches focusing on infrastructure upgrading have failed to tackle socio-environmental challenges. Against this background, this paper explores sanitation planning in Mandalay, the second largest city of Myanmar. Here, the Asian Development Bank and a French consulting firm have seized the opportunity created by the country’s recent opening to embark with the municipality on a multi-million dollar scheme: the Mandalay Urban Services Improvement Project (MUSIP). Drawing upon insights from critical development studies, the paper argues that the MUSIP can be interpreted as an ‘anti-politics machine’ that ignored local needs and proposed disputable solutions to local sanitation challenges. The paper further explores how this machine jeopardised urban development in Mandalay more generally, and was eventually challenged by the municipality. The paper concludes that the case is not unique and illustrates how urban development is today being reshaped throughout Myanmar, while it also shows the continued relevance of the ‘anti-politics’ framework to understand contemporary urban development assistance projects.

Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation Recommendations for Establishing a Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Program in Countries with Limited Resources, Part II: Clinical, Technical, and Socioeconomic Considerations.

The development of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) programs can face significant challenges in most developing countries because such endeavors must compete with other government health care priorities, including the delivery of basic services. Although this is may be a limiting factor, these countries should prioritize development of the needed expertise to offer state-of-the-art treatments, including transplantation, by providing financial, technological, legal, ethical, and other needed support. This would prove beneficial in providing successful programs customized to the needs of their population and potentially provide long-term cost savings by circumventing the need for their citizens to seek care abroad. The costs of establishing an HSCT program and the costs of the HSCT procedure itself can be substantial barriers in developing countries. In addition, socioeconomic factors intrinsic to specific countries can influence access to HSCT, patient eligibility for HSCT, and timely utilization of HSCT center capabilities. This report describes recommendations from the Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation for establishing HSCT programs, with a specific focus on developing countries, and identifies challenges and opportunities for providing this specialized procedure in resource-constrained settings.

Decentralization and Service Delivery: A Case Study of District Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

This article attempts to examine the relationship between decentralization and service delivery through an analysis of the performance of local governments established under the "Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Act 2013" with respect to the delivery of basic social services. While exponents of decentralization often argue that the devolution of powers to the lower levels of government improves public service delivery through equity, productive efficiency, and cost recovery, the findings of this study evince that the effects of decentralization on service delivery are often contingent on the social and political dynamics prevalent within a given context.

Citizen feedback in a fragile setting: social accountability interventions in the primary healthcare sector in Sierra Leone.

Fragile and conflict-affected states are frequently characterised by their inability to fulfil three core governance functions: provision of security, effective delivery of basic public goods and services, and managing political participation and accountability. This article explores the utility of social accountability interventions in fragile environments. Successful social accountability interventions can lead to joint examinations of public service standards by service-users and providers, resulting in collaborative improvement efforts. The few available studies of such interventions implemented in fragile or conflict-affected states show reasons for optimism as well as challenges. This article advocates the continued use of social accountability methods in fragile settings and provides examples of social accountability interventions in the health sector in Sierra Leone. The study suggests that social accountability can improve interaction between citizens and public service providers. Successful social accountability interventions can also lead to better quality and more accessible public services, which, in turn, can enhance state legitimacy.

The Effect of Selected Factors on Tax Revenue Mobilization in Ethiopia: The Case of Amhara Region

While many African countries raise 15% or more in tax revenue, some countries like Ethiopia still do not raise the necessary amount of resources to allow for the sound functioning of domestic institutions and basic service delivery. Therefore, this study investigated the perceived effect of selected factors on tax revenue mobilization in Ethiopia. Data is collected through a structured questionnaire and analyzed using univariate statistics namely one sample T-test and other descriptive statistics including proportions and means. The findings revealed that the political instability of the country has negatively affected the normal business operation of firms; reduced investments due to lower confidence of investors and negatively affected the taxable income of business firms. The results, however, revealed that closeness to general elections doesn’t affect normal business operation of firms. The findings also revealed that there is high corruption by tax officials in our region; taxpayer awareness creation to report any corruptive practices is also weak; measures by the tax authority to improve the accountability of tax officials are also limited or none and those corruptive practices have negatively affected the amount of tax the revenue office could mobilize. Finally, the study uncovered that the present tax audit practice does not reduce tax evasion and other irregularities in our region and that the awareness of taxpayers of tax audit per se doesn’t make the tax payers render a satisfactory tax return. We also found that the tax administrative structure lacks autonomy and there is the inadequacy of skilled and competent employees in the tax administration.

Reducing Child Mortality in the Last Mile: Experimental Evidence on Community Health Promoters in Uganda

The delivery of basic health products and services remains abysmal in many parts of the world where child mortality is high. This paper shows the results from a large-scale randomized evaluation of a novel approach to health care delivery. In randomly selected villages, a sales agent was locally recruited and incentivized to conduct home visits, educate households on essential health behaviors, provide medical advice and referrals, and sell preventive and curative health products. Results after 3 years show substantial health impact: under 5-years child mortality was reduced by 27 percent at an estimated average cost of $68 per life-year saved. (JEL I12, I18, J13, O15, O18)

The Impact of Organisational Culture on Public Sector Performance: A Case Study of Local Authorities in Zimbabwe

Local Authorities play an important role in the national development of any country as they are the vehicle for basic municipal service delivery. They are the interface of government and its citizenry at the local level meaning that local authorities represent government in action. As such, the same are expected to proffer sustainable services in the right amount and at the right time. Local authorities therefore provide the backbone for a country’s socio-economic development. However, the recent history of the local authority sector suggests that Councils have fallen way behind in terms of delivering on their mandate due a number of factors. The Ministry responsible for Local Government in Zimbabwe notes that the peak year where councils were optimally functional was 1996 and this is the level that has been benchmarked. In the main, it may be noted, that Councils in Zimbabwe rank among the most liquid organisations; their revenues are guaranteed in the Constitution and in some way in the relevant Acts of Parliament. As such, it is within the rights of the public to expect local authorities to offer more than they have done since the turn of the millennium. It may be argued that the set-up of Local Authorities in Zimbabwe is not aligned to the objective of delivering optimal services to communities with the same not responding to the demands of the people as well the operating environment. To significantly alter this negative spiral of performance, it is imperative that Local Authorities deal decisively with issues surrounding organisational culture in order to focus members (councillors and employees), policies and processes towards the achievement of both local and national goals and priorities. This study reviews several literature already proffered on the subject matter in conjunction with primary research with a view to add to the body of knowledge in the area of study.

Ensuring the quality of basic service delivery in decentralised local governments through the Minimum Service Standard policy: how does it work

This paper discusses the impact of the implementation of Minimum Service Standard (MSS) policy on the quality of basic services district/city governments deliver to their citizenry in Indonesia. One of the expectations of the decentralisation policy, which got underway in 1999 was to contribute to the improvement of the quality of public services. The issuing of Indonesian Government Regulation (GR) No. 65/2005, which outlined guidelines on setting and implementing MSS for all sectoral ministries was very much in line with that process. Study results obtained from a survey of the local government officials attest to the reality that most local governments are yet to implement the 15 MSS set by the 15 sectoral ministries. Some of the factors that have hampered the implementation of MSS include lack of clarity on substance of MSS policy (unclear concept of basic services and MSS; variety of approaches used in various sectoral ministries, such as input, process, output and outcome), and constraints that implementing organisations face (insufficient budget allocation and human resource capacity, unclear functional assignments, and lack of integration of MSS in local government development plans).

Ensuring the quality of basic service delivery in decentralised local governments through the Minimum Service Standard policy: how does it work

This paper discusses the impact of the implementation of Minimum Service Standard (MSS) policy on the quality of basic services district/city governments deliver to their citizenry in Indonesia. One of the expectations of the decentralisation policy, which got underway in 1999 was to contribute to the improvement of the quality of public services. The issuing of Indonesian Government Regulation (GR) No. 65/2005, which outlined guidelines on setting and implementing MSS for all sectoral ministries was very much in line with that process. Study results obtained from a survey of the local government officials attest to the reality that most local governments are yet to implement the 15 MSS set by the 15 sectoral ministries. Some of the factors that have hampered the implementation of MSS include lack of clarity on substance of MSS policy (unclear concept of basic services and MSS; variety of approaches used in various sectoral ministries, such as input, process, output and outcome), and constraints that implementing organisations face (insufficient budget allocation and human resource capacity, unclear functional assignments, and lack of integration of MSS in local government development plans).

Participation in a clinical trial of a text messaging intervention is associated with increased infant HIV testing: A parallel-cohort randomized controlled trial.

ObjectiveText messages significantly improve uptake of infant HIV testing in clinical trial contexts. Women who were excluded from a randomized trial in Kenya were followed to create a comparison between women who were enrolled and did not receive the study SMS intervention and women who were screened but not enrolled.DesignParallel-cohort randomized controlled trial analysis.MethodsWe compared time to infant HIV testing between women in three groups: the Trial SMS group, the Trial Control group, and the Comparison Cohort comprised of women who were screened but not enrolled.ResultsOf the 1,115 women screened, 388 (35%) were eligible for trial enrollment, and were randomized to receive either intervention text messages (Trial SMS; N = 195) or continue usual care (Trial Control; N = 193). Among 727 women not enrolled in the study (Comparison Cohort), we obtained infant HIV testing data from clinic records for 510 (70%). The cumulative probability of infant HIV testing was highest in the Trial SMS group (92.0%; 95% CI 87.5–95.3), followed by the Trial Control group (85.1%; 95% CI 79.5–89.8), and lowest among women in the Comparison Cohort (43.4%; 95% CI 39.2–47.8).ConclusionsBoth the Trial SMS group and the Trial Control group were significantly more likely to have their infants tested for HIV compared to the Comparison Cohort, providing evidence of a “clinical trial effect.” This analysis suggests that SMS interventions should be implemented as an adjunct to consistent and engaged delivery of basic health services.

Sub-National Governments’ Participation in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) in Nigeria

The relative roles of the three tiers of government in public service delivery has emerged as one of the most important topics of open and vigorous debate in Nigeria. Being a federal system of government, there have been increased calls for intergovernmental fiscal relations in the country to be reassessed in light of a widespread belief that although the states and LGAs are assigned primary responsibility for the delivery of basic public services, they are not equipped with adequate revenue resources to fulfil their expenditure obligations. This study examines the prospects and challenges of sub-national governments’ participation in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) which is the economic blueprint of the current federal government of Nigeria. Among others, the study observes that subnational revenue potential is limited by the inter-jurisdictional mobility of economic agents, with most naturally “local” taxes having low revenue yields. Hence, typically, subnational own-revenue sources are not commensurate with sub-national spending responsibilities, creating a vertical fiscal imbalance usually filled by fiscal transfers from the federal government. Of course, the almost exclusive reliance on federal transfers creates conditions for lack of accountability as sub-national governments may continue to shift blame and responsibility for service delivery to higher tiers of government that control the bulk of government revenues. The study also highlights the political and institutional constraints to sub-national government participation in Economic Development Plans in Nigeria, with suggestions as to how the constraints can be conquered.

The Political Leadership of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao: Its Socio-Economic Challenges and Imperatives

This study aimed to analyze the socio-economic imperatives that have contributed to the promotion of peace and total development of the region. This study made use of the qualitative approach at the same time employed historical method as the design of the research. There were 21 key informants of the study coming from the five provinces of the ARMM. The informants of this study were purposely identified and selected. This study made use of the qualitative approach at the same time employed historical method as the design of the research. The Major findings of the study are: The development focuses of the political leadership of the ARMM since it was created are: Building of the structural organization of the ARMM; Devolution (process) of political power from the national government to regional government; Seeking foreign recognition and linkages; poverty alleviation; Sustainable development; Development administration and governance; Social services and development; Economic development; and Infrastructure, support facilities and logistics. Despite the political, socio-cultural and economic opportunities guaranteed by RA 9054, less efforts has been made by the political leadership of the ARMM to assert their opportunities under this organic law. The political leadership of the ARMM has less focus on revenue mobilization, and access and control in the utilization of strategic resources, thus, missing the right steps towards strong and genuine autonomy. Each political leadership of the ARMM has its own unique strategies and preferences to develop the communities in terms of: (a) Fund Sourcing, (b) Governance, and (c) Sustainability. The Autonomous Regional Government is almost totally dependent on national government for funds. No legislation has been crafted to gradually end the ARMM total fiscal dependence on the national government. The ARMM has weak taxing power and low revenue generation capacity. The contributions of each political leadership of the ARMM can be seen in their development efforts in political, socio-cultural, and economic development they made in the region. The major challenges that had been commonly encountered by each political leadership of the ARMM are: Devolution Process, Unstable Peace and Order Situation, Rehabilitation and Delivery of Basic Social Services, Poor Human Security, Limited and Small Scale Infrastructure and Logistics. There are still many communities in the ARMM which are socially and economically unserved since it was created.

Embedding knowledge transfer in digital citizen engagement in South Africa: Developing digital literacy

Basic service delivery is a fundamental right for all South Africans, especially vulnerable groups. Effective and efficient channels of communication between multi-stakeholder groups involved and affected by service delivery are essential. Digital citizen engagement has recently emerged as a key approach for supporting two-way communication between citizens and the government. It is essential for building evidence-based data to engage with government and apply social accountability measures to lobby for the provision of basic services. Key to building capacities and learning, is developing the abilities of both local government and citizens to become digitally literate (including civic and responsiveness literacy), in order to realise and action the true benefits of digital citizen engagement. This research set out to identify the roles of digital literacy in digital citizen engagement, and how it may be embedded in knowledge transfer processes for implementing digital citizen engagement initiatives. A pragmatist philosophical approach was applied: studying, observing and reflecting on actions in the MobiSAM case study. Using Szulanski’s four-stage model of knowledge transfer, key focus areas for developing digital literacy were identified, contributing to a Quadruple-E process of: (1) explore, (2) enable, (3) engage and (4) embed. Practices identified in the MobiSAM case study are provided as suggestions for each phase, with an indication of possible constraints that may be experienced in the knowledge transfer and digital literacy development process – a potential guideline for developing digital literacy in digital citizen engagement initiatives. The process for knowledge transfer and developing digital literacy that was identified in this article provides a guideline for future implementation of digital citizen engagement initiatives in resource-constrained contexts.

The changing role of residential intervention

ABSTRACTThe role of therapeutic residential care (TRC) is changing. In fact, this article reframes the terminology of TRC and uses “residential interventions” to more accurately reflect that residential programs provide time-limited “intervention” and treatment efforts must connect and extend to families and communities. Such changes are being compelled by necessity and innovation. Necessity is demanding evidence, data, and durable positive outcomes for this expensive intervention. Innovation is transforming basic service delivery through meaningful inclusion of youth and families and effective collaboration with community-based organizations. Service elements that confound this changing role are being reconsidered, including reductions in length of stay, a focus on long-term permanency, and the location of the actual intervention from program-centric practice to interventions in the home and community.

A neural network and landscape metrics to propose a flexible urban growth boundary: A case study

Urban sprawl is a major barrier for the precise demarcation of administrative boundary in the world. In India, medium and small towns have so far developed outside the envisaged planning, resulting in a leapfrog and haphazard growth. This paper has attempted to simulate the spatial extent of urban expansion and boundary demarcation for the purpose of efficient urban planning and land resource management. An Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model and a set of landscape metrics were used to delineate the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) and characterize the future patterns of growth in Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC, India). In particular, two urban boundaries – namely, Urban Hard Boundary (UHB) and Urban Soft Boundary (USB) – were simulated. The results suggest a USB with the area of 123 km2 to address the basic service delivery and a UHB with the area of 211.88 km2 to manage the ecological fragmentation.

Regional disparity in access to basic public services in Saudi Arabia: A sustainability challenge

Measuring progress toward water and sanitation provision requires a sharper focus on intranational disparity in access. This paper analyses access levels to electricity, drinking water and sanitation in Saudi Arabia's thirteen provinces from an equity perspective. Substantial disparity in access to piped water and sewerage services exists across the provinces. While access to national electricity grid slightly varies from 98.6% of dwellings in the Eastern province to 95.3 in Hail province, the percentage of dwellings connected to piped water ranged from only 10% in Al-Baha province to 90.1% in the Eastern province. Only 3.6% and 5.0% of dwellings in Al-Baha and Najran provinces respectively were connected to public sewer systems, compared with 77.4% in the Eastern province. The paper concludes that key to more equitable delivery of basic public services in Saudi Arabia is to decentralize infrastructure development to provincial and municipal governments, formulate and implement water and sanitation policies with an emphasis on expanding coverage in the underserved regions and to build decentralized sewer systems.

Group structural elements in e-Government strategy formulation at local municipal level in South Africa

PurposeThis study aims to identify group structural elements that should be assessed in e-Government strategy formulation processes at local government level for service delivery in South Africa. These elements influence the success or effectiveness of the strategy formulation process.Design/methodology/approachThe theoretical framework of group structural elements by Asplund and nine other strategy formulation-related approaches are reflected upon. Weick’s approach of theory development is used to guide the theoretical analysis. A pragmatic approach is applied to conduct the empirical investigation using a case study of a digital citizen engagement project in South Africa.FindingsThe paper highlights the following group elements that influence the strategy formulation process: group member relations, degree of differentiation within the group and resources of the group. Not addressing these structural elements may result in a lack of creativity or a reluctance to participate in the context of public sector engagement.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper does not provide an exhaustive list of all aspects that necessitate assessment before and during a strategy formulation process, for example, organisational and environment structural elements.Practical implicationsAssessing group structural elements provides valuable knowledge on how to engage stakeholders in a joint problem-solving activity. This is particularly pertinent where citizen engagement is fundamental to addressing basic service delivery concerns.Originality/valueIn the South African local municipal context, there is no existing literature that discusses the need to assess group structural elements influencing the outcome of an e-Government strategy formulation process.

Development Transition of a Riverine Tribe: A Study of the Misings in the Brahmaputra Valley

Scheduled Tribes form one of the most disadvantaged segments of the Indian population. The developmental interventions, including the constitutionally guaranteed affirmative action, have had limited success in bringing up the standards of living of these groups. This article focuses on a riverine tribe, the Misings, whose livelihood and developmental challenges are compounded by the recurrent floods and riverbank erosion. It is based on a study of developmental transition of this tribe inhabiting on the banks of the river Brahmaputra and its tributaries in upper Assam. It analyses socio-economic transition process among the tribe driven by the progressive forces of the spread of education and resulting occupational diversification. The levels of progress are found to vary depending on the degree of vulnerability of settlement locations—those bearing the brunt of recurrent floods and riverbank erosion are lagging behind in development attainments. To make the transition process more expeditious and inclusive, institutional strengthening for better delivery of basic services is suggested.