Weak Institutional Arrangements Research Articles

Institutions, Investment and Economic Growth: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub Saharan African countries experience low private investment compared to other developing countries in world. For instance, private investment in the region averaged 15% of GDP from 2010 to 2016, as compared to 22%, 18% and 17% for developing countries in Asia, Europe and Latin America respectively. This low investment level constrained the region’s ability to grow and improve social outcomes such as; increase in the real wages and poverty reduction. Low quality institutions could explain this phenomenon. Therefore, this study examined the effect of institutions on investment and economic growth of 37 SSA countries from 1996 to 2017 using dynamic panel data model. The data were retrieved from Worldwide Governance Indicators, World Development Indicators and the Chinn-Ito index. System Generalised Method of Moments was used to estimate the result. The key findings generated by the study confirmed that these measures of institutional variables and there interaction with investment yield a positive and statistically significant result. Indicating that strengthening the quality of these institutions could positively affect investment and economic growth of the region. For instance, unit increase in controlling corruption increases investment by 1.4%. Furthermore, there is evidence showing financial development slows investment growth, which can be attributed to the weak institutional arrangements, as the coefficient of financial development is negative and statistically significant. The study recommends that SSA countries should pay greater attention on institutional reforms particularly; control of corruption and political stability to drive a meaningful growth and development in the region.

Elaborating institutional arrangements to better enhance sustainable crop intensification in Uganda: A farmers’ perspective

Weak and inefficient institutional arrangements have been identified as a major cause of the slow pace of agricultural growth in developing countries. Institutions – the humanly devised constraints that shape human interaction – play a significant role in Sustainable Crop Intensification (SCI) in Uganda. This study uses farmers' perceptions to assess institutions and their roles in SCI. We collected data from 135 rice and potato-producing households in Eastern and Southwestern regions of Uganda between January and February 2017. We used Focus Group Discussions to identify and categorize institutional typologies following which we asked households to evaluate several institutional aspects. Overall, institutional contributions to SCI were highly valued by farmers. Based on functional, organizational, and managerial obstacles, farmers perceived formal institutions to be ineffective while they perceived informal farmer's institutions to be the most relevant institutions as they provided financial resources that alleviated constraints to agricultural production and met livelihood needs. We found a lack of coordination between the micro, meso, and macro-level institutions, which then affected their institutional functionality to execute SCI. There is a need for innovation within existing institutions, and a status quo of institutional arrangements that would better respond to smallholders' needs.

Disaster Accountability Framework of Bangladesh: An Analysis of Strengths and Gaps

This research aims to critically analyze the manifestation of accountability issues in disaster related major policies of Bangladesh as well as its field level implications. For that purpose, five major policies related to the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) of Bangladesh have been meticulously selected and analyzed. Critical analysis of the policy contents with regard to a model accountability framework has been principally adopted to derive the insights. Key Informant Interview (KII) with experts in the relevant fields has been considered for empirical data collection on accountability practices. The findings reveal existence of well-articulated accountability principles implanted into the policy dictates alongside weak institutional arrangements and governance mechanism to implement them at the empirical level. However, the remarkable progress of Bangladesh in disaster risk management against the partially dysfunctional accountability framework seemingly takes place by reaping benefits from indigenous knowledge and community based adaptive practices. The policy makers need to better understand the institutional mechanisms as well as the community level practices for DRR and finally mainstream them in the policy making process. The findings will potentially serve as a standard assessment of the current status of disaster risk governance in Bangladesh. The Dhaka University Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Vol. 11(1), 2022: 69-80

Impact of Poor Governance on Deforestation in Africa

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the world loses 18 million acres through deforestation each year. Africa is the only continent in the world where deforestation is on the increase threatening the continent’s scarce water resources, efforts by the region to combat climate change, and exacerbating the vulnerability of rural communities to poverty and effects of climate change. Deforestation over the decades has been blamed on poverty and burgeoning population increase. Demand for wood in Africa which is a source of energy could triple by 2050, straining the continents dwindling forest resources according to UN report. The study based on library research examines the extents to which poor governance and corruption which have been pervasive in Africa and have significantly contributed to the loss of the continent’s forest cover. Thirty published research papers were reviewed with the following objectives; i) analyse the extent of corruption in the forest sector, ii) to examine the extent to which corruption contributes to deforestation in Africa, iii) examine ways in which poor governance and weak institutional arrangements exacerbate corruption in the forest sector, iv) explore the extent to which corruption undermines the effectiveness of Community Forest Associations in combating deforestation in Africa, and v) explore opportunities and challenges of community forest association in combating corruption in the forest sector. The study further evaluated policy documents and frameworks previous researchers have employed to examine forest governance, compared to the emerging recent models of forest governance. From the previous research, it is apparent that corruption has the potential to decimate a nation’s forests. Few studies in Africa have however examined the extent of this phenomenon. There is an urgent need for such studies that provide further explanation on the extent to which corruption plays in the continuing loss of forest cover against the backdrop of all the reforms to improve the performance of the forestry sector. Keywords: community forest associations, deforestation, drivers, governance, corruption, institutions DOI: 10.7176/JAAS/80-04 Publication date: May 31 st 2022

Increasing production efficiency of irrigation systems through stakeholder participation

Abstract Irrigation projects have elicited ambiguous views, if not outright animosity, during the past four decades. Aside from environmental and relocation concerns, low productivity is a source of criticism. Irrigation management systems in developing countries seem to have historically underperformed due to government control. Weak institutional arrangements have hindered effective and timely water distribution. There is widespread dissatisfaction with technocratic top-down programmes imposed with little community support. A rising recognition that more advanced engineering and information technologies are not the primary drivers of increased irrigation potential utilisation has resulted in an emphasis on farmer-led irrigation. Many developing countries have introduced reform instruments since the 1980s, with the most notable paradigm being a move from government control to participative management by stakeholders. This study looks into the situation in Cambodia where participation of farmers in managing irrigation schemes is being sought through the formation of Farmers Water Users Committees. The study quantifies the improvement in project performance with farmers’ participation through Farmers Water Users Committees and finds it significant. Furthermore, using difference-in-difference methodology, this research finds that the improvement is not a blip and is sustained over the medium term.

Follow-up and growing-up formula promotion among Mexican pregnant women and mothers of children under 18 months old.

Milk formula sales have grown globally, particularly through follow‐up formulas (FUF) and growing‐up milks (GUM). Marketing strategies and weak regulatory and institutional arrangements are important contributors to caregivers' decisions about child feeding choices. This study describes maternal awareness, beliefs, and normative referents of FUFs and GUMs among Mexican pregnant women and mothers of children 0–18 months (n = 1044) through the lens of the theory of reasoned action (TRA). A cross‐sectional survey was undertaken in two large metropolitan areas of Mexico. Descriptive analyses were conducted following the constructs of the TRA. One‐third of the participants had heard about FUFs, mainly through health professionals (51.1%) and family (22.2%). Once they had heard about FUFs, the majority (80%) believed older infants needed this product due to its benefits (hunger satisfaction, brain development, and allergy management). One quarter of the participants were already using or intended to use FUFs; the majority had received this recommendation from doctors (74.6%) and mothers/mothers‐in‐law (25%). Similarly, 19% of the women had heard about GUMs. The pattern for the rest of TRA constructs for GUMs was similar to FUFs. Mexican women are exposed to FUFs and GUMs, once women know about them, the majority believe older infant and young children need these products, stating perceived benefits that match the poorly substantiated marketing claims of breast‐milk substitutes. Health professionals, particularly doctors, act as marketing channels for FUFs and GUMs. Marketing of FUFs and GUMs represents a threat to breastfeeding in Mexico and a more protective regulatory and institutional environment is needed.

The role of institutions in sustaining competitive bioeconomy growth in Africa – Insights from the Nigerian maize biomass value-web

Recently, many developing countries have implemented several bioeconomy plans to transform their rural economies and improve food security at local, national, and regional levels. Yet, there are limited success stories and examples of a competitive bioeconomy in Africa while levels of poor and food food-insecure populations remain high. Drawing on the novel concepts of biomass value-web, national innovation system and Porter's Diamond model, this paper analyses the emerging biomass opportunities and institutional challenges limiting sustainable bioeconomy growth in Africa. Using the Nigerian maize sector as a case study, qualitative data obtained from 54 stakeholders through 14 interviews, six focus group discussions, and six Net-maps served as a foundation for our network and content analyses. Results revealed numerous opportunities to further upgrade the current maize biomass value-web. However, the challenges of low farm productivity, inadequate infrastructure, low biomass demand and utilization by industrial firms at the mid-stream, deficient innovation and support systems and inconsistent government plans pivoted on several institutional challenges such as weak and uncoordinated institutional arrangements and an unfavorable institutional environment to limit competitive bioeconomy growth in the sector. The study concludes that important institutions in various innovation subsystems would need to actively perform harmonizing activities within a favorable institutional environment before competitive bioeconomy growth can be attained in Africa.

Analysis of rural household food and non‐food poverty status in Ethiopia: The Case Study from Meskan District

AbstractPoverty is the lack of ability to reach the least possible level of standard of living. Both food and non‐food poverty remain the foremost concern in many developing countries in general and Ethiopia in particular. The proportions of rural households living below poverty line in Ethiopia have been increasing over the past decades. The causes of poverty are enormous and multifaceted. Thus, the objective of this study was to examine the status and determinants of poverty among rural households in Meskan District. Cross‐sectional survey data were collected from 360 rural households randomly. The costs of basic needs approach, Foster, Greer, and Thorbecke methods (FGT index), and logit model were used to determine poverty line and identify determinants of poverty status among rural households, respectively. Moreover, for the analysis of the data, the respective statistical and econometric tests were employed. The findings show that poverty line/absolute poverty status was found about birr 6305 per year per adult equivalent consumption in District. Besides, the annual mean food and non‐food consumption expenditure poverty lines were birr 4157.7 and birr 2147.6 per year, respectively. The incidence, depth, and severity of poverty measures and its status were found to be 0.333, 0.051, and 0.013 values, while compared poverty measures and its status with national poverty incidence status; there was highest poverty incidence among rural households due to low human, physical, financial, and natural capitals as well as weak institutional arrangements. Logit model result similarly shows that factors affecting poverty level among rural households are highly associated with age of households, dependency ratio, marital status of household, education level household, farm size, distance from nearest market, access to food aid, oxen and livestock possession in study District. Our results suggest that the poverty reduction plans and policies should target specific localities and households livelihood situations because poverty by its nature is individual concentrated rather than aggregate national as whole.

Land Use/Cover Changes and Surface Temperature Dynamics Over Abaminus Watershed, Northwest Ethiopia

The study investigates the impact of land use/cover changes on the dynamics of surface temperature in the Abaminus watershed, Northwest Ethiopia. Landsat-5 images of 1987, 1999, and 2010, and the Landsat-8 image of 2018 were used as the sources of data. The land use/cover changes were calculated using a land-use transition matrix. Data generated from household surveys were presented using percentage values to identify the driving forces of land use/cover changes. The land surface temperature (LST) result was quantified using the respective index equation. Results indicated that wetland, forest, shrublands, and grasslands declined by 96.6%, 72%, 77.7%, and 89.4% respectively over the analysis period. The encroachment of cultivation and overgrazing to marginal lands, weak institutional arrangement, sedimentation, high drainage of wetlands for crop production, and recurrent drought were the major driving forces behind the land use/cover change. Within this effect, the average land surface temperature was increased by 11.5°C, 3.22°C, and 2.02°C due to wetland loss, clearing of the forest, and decline of shrublands respectively for the last 31 years. LSTs had correspondingly decreased by 5.42°C and 3.77°C on the afforested barren surfaces and planted shrublands. Hence, there should be an improved institutional arrangement for managing open access resources through the participation of local people in the management for minimizing the increase of land surface temperature in the study watershed. Moreover, enclosure management and plantation of multipurpose species on degraded communal lands shall be scaled-up to significantly reduce land surface temperatures.

Use of clean energy for sustainable livelihood in rural areas: A case from South Odisha

For economic development of any country, state and region energy is necessary. In addition to economic development, to lessen the harmful effect of fossil fuels on environment and improve quality of life of people, ensuring availability of reliable clean energy solutions at an affordable price has become essential. However, their use is limited. The reasons for its limited uses could be due to weak institutional arrangements with respect to affordable financing and supply chain issues. People in rural areas face problems related to poor quality of life, low income and energy related problems which are characterised by availability, reliability, affordability, cost, drudgery, pollution, safety and health-related issues. Hence, there is need for a clean energy system that can address these challenges in a sustainable manner. This paper focuses on adoption of clean energy in rural areas of South Odisha. In the present paper, a case study analysis was used for understanding the diffusion process of clean energy products that is solar lights in the rural areas of South Odisha. The major findings were how the diffusion of solar lights helped in generating income for the rural people of South Odisha. A novel approach of action research initiative was undertaken to enhance the quality of life of rural people in South Odisha by diffusion of solar lights. An attempt was also made to develop the supply chain for last mile delivery of the solar lights and sensitising the community service providers to become clean energy entrepreneurs was also focused.

Pitfalls of External Institutional Facilitation of Farmer Organizations: Insights from Farmer Companies in Sri Lanka

Farmer companies (FCs) were a form of farmer-owned firms established in Sri Lanka during the mid-1990s. These have been facilitated by state institutions. Maximization of returns through commercial agriculture has been the main objective of FCs. However, no FCs were operating by the year 2010. This article explains that the institutional facilitation is a strong ingredient in the establishment of FCs in Sri Lanka. This article explainfs how the institutional and governance arrangements of FCs were influenced by the facilitating institutions during the institutional facilitation. It also suggests that institutional facilitation affected the performance of FCs. Six failed FCs were studied. Strategic facilitation was responsible for the performance and sustainability of FCs while operative facilitation provided the basis for direction and operations. Results indicate that poor performance and failure of FCs were due to institutional facilitation that has introduced weak institutional and governance arrangements. There was non-shareholder influence on the Boards of Directors; geographically restricted shareholding; democratic voting rights; and shareholder rights not linked to equity or patronage. Governance problems included voting by the raise of hand; managers not reporting to the Boards directly; shareholders did not elect all the directors. Institutional facilitation of FCs in Sri Lanka has been done by the state facilitating institutions. They have been excessively authoritative on their respective FCs. Therefore, changing the label from cooperatives to companies would not result in better performance. Some recommendations are that facilitating institutions empower FCs through capacity-building; participatory approach in facilitation; remove the geographical restriction in shareholding; install variable shareholding; build capacity of managerial staff; use secret ballots at voting, and practice proportional voting. Understanding the role of facilitating institutions and the dynamics of facilitation would be useful to promote farmer collectives in smallholder farmer dominant developing countries.

“Ambiguous, Confusing, and Not Delivering Enough Housing”

Problem, research strategy, and findings Responsibility for affordable housing delivery is increasingly being delivered through collaborations between private, nonprofit, and state actors and operationalized through voluntary negotiations. Negotiation theory provides a lens for understanding why outcomes are often limited by highlighting the impact of stakeholder interests, the potential for mutual gains, trust between negotiating partners, and access to information. We surveyed 148 housing stakeholders in the state of Victoria (Australia) shortly after the passage of legislation that supported the negotiation of voluntary affordable housing agreements. We found that stakeholders share a belief in the necessity of affordable housing. However, the current institutional context often precludes opportunities for mutual gain because there is little incentive to engage in negotiations, provision of sufficient incentives is problematic, and contributions are difficult to enforce. We found large discrepancies in levels of training in development feasibility across sectors and low trust between negotiation participants. We argue that these factors are likely to reduce the efficiency and effectiveness of voluntary affordable housing negotiations in Victoria and other jurisdictions with weak institutional arrangements for affordable housing negotiations. Takeaway for practice Across sectors, respondents prefer mandatory rather than voluntary affordable housing provisions. Voluntary affordable housing negotiations are unlikely to be effective without institutional scaffolding to ensure that negotiations result in mutual gains for stakeholders. Planners should pair the introduction of voluntary affordable housing negotiations with training resources for the stakeholders who will participate in negotiations as well as mechanisms for enforcing negotiated agreements.

Challenges Of Forest Governance In Addressing Redd+: Status, Effects And Prospects. The Case Of Bale Eco-Region, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

Reduction of emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) is an internationally accepted mechanism for encouraging developing countries to contribute to climate change mitigation by reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) by preventing forest loss and degradation; and by increasing removal of GHGs from the earth’s atmosphere through the conservation, management and expansion of forests. This mechanism, however, has failed to bring the desired results in the Bale Eco-Region. Thus, the purpose of this study is to identify the main challenges of forest governance in addressing the implementation of REDD+ projects. Mixed research approach was employed. Relevant qualitative data were gathered through key informant interviews and focus group discussions. Quantitative data were collected through questionnaires. This study revealed that the community produced a total of 5.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in three years (between 2012 and 2015) as a contribution to the global environment. But, they were not received any economic incentives from the REDD+. Generally, while implementing the REDD+ project, forest governance of the Bale Eco-Region has faced different challenges, such as weak institutional arrangements, continuation of deforestation, low enforcement capacity, low economic benefit of the community, lack of strong coordination with media and research institutes, conflict of interest among sectors over forest land, and lack of adequate budget and logistics to undertake proper monitoring and evaluation. All these challenges have in one way or another contributed to the failure of the REDD+ project in the Bale Eco-Region.

Sustain or phase out: Transformation of Taiwan’s management scheme on distant water tuna longline fisheries

Fishing nations worldwide have introduced various measures to manage their fisheries. However, many have failed including Taiwan. Taiwan operated one of the world’s largest and most productive distant water tuna longline fleets but overcapacity and an incommensurate fisheries management scheme (FMS) resulted in illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities by the fleet. As a result, Taiwan received serious punitive sanction by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) in 2005 for illegal “fish laundering” activities. Ten years later, it also received a “yellow card” warning from the European Union (EU) under the EU IUU Regulation. Taiwan struggled to transform its FMS to meet the requirements imposed under the two events through three FMS transformation projects. The ICCAT sanction was lifted in 2006, the EU yellow card was lifted in mid-2019, and the resulting FMS is considered close to completion and a useful example of global best practice. This study reviews the failure of Taiwan’s FMS for tuna longline fisheries and identifies the potential drivers: low policy priority, weak institutional arrangements, and insufficient enforcement resources. It documents the evolution of the FMS which was painful but could offer valuable lessons for fisheries managers and scholars worldwide. Key effects of the transformation projects and some recommendations for the future are also provided.

Challenges for the Governance of Small-Scale Fisheries on the Brazil-Bolivia Transboundary Region

Developing institutional arrangements for supporting sustainable fisheries has been a critical challenge for the governance of common-pool resources, especially in transboundary regions. In this paper, we analyze the impact of governance arrangements on a small-scale fishery system on the Brazil-Bolivia border in the Amazon region. Data collection involved documental analysis, literature review and conduction of semi-structured interviews with fishers and environmental protection/regulatory agencies’ staff. We present an exploratory qualitative analysis of the interactions between the fishery system’s attributes (biological, environmental, technical and governance), examining institutional arrangements among diverse stakeholders. Results reveal that the small-scale fishery characteristics and the relationships between resources and stakeholders has contributed to stock maintenance and overall sustainability of the fishery system. Nevertheless, we also found that the governance structure is fragile due to weak institutional arrangements within and between countries, resulting in increased vulnerability of the fishery system to imminent threats.

Measuring the financial efficiency of agricultural cooperatives in South Africa: an application of the Simar–Wilson methodology

ABSTRACT Post-1994, the South African government has favoured cooperatives over other types of corporate entities in its rural development programmes. An improved understanding of the key drivers underpinning the performance of cooperatives is important for informing government programmes and policies that target cooperatives. This study examined the financial efficiency, and its determinants, of 387 agricultural cooperatives in South Africa, using the Simar–Wilson methodology. Bias-corrected Data Envelopment Analysis estimates for financial efficiency were obtained in the first stage. The results indicated that many agricultural cooperatives are relatively inefficient, compared to the three best-performing cooperatives on the efficient boundary. In the second stage, a double bootstrap truncated regression model was used to obtain bias-corrected scores that excluded the best-performing cooperatives. The statistically significant efficiency determinants identified from the analysis were the age and size of the cooperative, the gender of the principal manager of the cooperative, its governance and the training indicators. The observed relationship between governance and efficiency may be attributed to institutions that prioritise non-financial goals by being relatively more willing to compromise on governance quality. Furthermore, deviations from sound institutional control mechanisms are more likely to emerge in cooperatives that have weak institutional and organisational arrangements.

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Development of Community Plantation Forest (HTR) as one of Social Forestry (SF) Programs in Indonesia seems still not able to optimally improve people's welfare becaused of weak institutional arrangements at local level. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effectiveness of HTR institutional arrangements at local level in encouraging the development of HTR. Data are collected through field observations, in-depth interviews and focus group discussion (FGD and analysed using qualitative descriptive method. The results show that institutional managements of HTR at farm level in four HTR permit holders examined are ineffective and require capacity building program. In addition, institutions in the form of cooperatives are generally better than farmer groups (Kelompok Tani Hutan/KTH); even though, they have not been able to fully implement the rules of the game that have been prepared and agreed by all members. To strengthen local institutional arrangements, after granting permits to communities, it is necessary for governments to intensify facilitation program in the form of guidance and technical training in forest management administration and finance management, development of potential HTR products and options of market opportunity.

Determinants of farmer awareness of water governance across gender dimensions in smallholder irrigation schemes in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa

Water is a vital resource for irrigated agricultural production. Its availability and accessibility are critical for alleviating poverty and achieving food security in rural households. However, smallholder irrigated agriculture in South Africa faces limited water supply emanating from scheme governance problems, with weak institutional arrangements that fail to equitably and effectively govern water resources. South African water policy has been transforming over the years. However, statutory laws remain unknown in smallholder irrigation schemes. This study sought to assess farmer awareness of water governance and identify the determinants of farmer awareness of water governance dimensions across gender dimensions in Mooi River, Tugela Ferry, and Ndumo irrigation schemes. The study employed principal component analysis to generate water governance indices, that is, formal institutions, the existence and effectiveness of scheme constitutions, scheme committees and enforcement of informal rules in the scheme. The ordinary least square regression technique was then used to identify factors determining farmer awareness of formal and informal water institutions in the three irrigation schemes. The findings suggest that formal water institutions are unknown and factors such as household characteristics, scheme location, stakeholder participation and involvement in scheme decision-making processes significantly influence awareness of governance. Therefore, there is a need to raise farmer awareness of formal water institutions and to strengthen the informal institutions which are functional, recognised and in line with irrigation management transfer.

Determinants of farmer awareness of water governance across gender dimensions in smallholder irrigation schemes in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa

Water is a vital resource for irrigated agricultural production. Its availability and accessibility are critical for alleviating poverty and achieving food security in rural households. However, smallholder irrigated agriculture in South Africa faces limited water supply emanating from scheme governance problems, with weak institutional arrangements that fail to equitably and effectively govern water resources. South African water policy has been transforming over the years. However, statutory laws remain unknown in smallholder irrigation schemes. This study sought to assess farmer awareness of water governance and identify the determinants of farmer awareness of water governance dimensions across gender dimensions in Mooi River, Tugela Ferry, and Ndumo irrigation schemes. The study employed principal component analysis to generate water governance indices, that is, formal institutions, the existence and effectiveness of scheme constitutions, scheme committees and enforcement of informal rules in the scheme. The ordinary least square regression technique was then used to identify factors determining farmer awareness of formal and informal water institutions in the three irrigation schemes. The findings suggest that formal water institutions are unknown and factors such as household characteristics, scheme location, stakeholder participation and involvement in scheme decision-making processes significantly influence awareness of governance. Therefore, there is a need to raise farmer awareness of formal water institutions and to strengthen the informal institutions which are functional, recognised and in line with irrigation management transfer.

Prolonged health worker strikes in Kenya- perspectives and experiences of frontline health managers and local communities in Kilifi County

BackgroundWhile health worker strikes are experienced globally, the effects can be worst in countries with infrastructural and resource challenges, weak institutional arrangements, underdeveloped organizational ethics codes, and unaffordable alternative options for the poor. In Kenya, there have been a series of public health worker strikes in the post devolution period. We explored the perceptions and experiences of frontline health managers and community members of the 2017 prolonged health workers’ strikes.MethodsWe employed an embedded research approach in one county in the Kenyan Coast. We collected in-depth qualitative data through informal observations, reflective meetings, individual and group interviews and document reviews (n = 5), and analysed the data using a thematic approach. Individual interviews were held with frontline health managers (n = 26), and group interviews with community representatives (4 health facility committee member groups, and 4 broader community representative groups). Interviews were held during and immediately after the nurses’ strike.FindingsIn the face of major health facility and service closures and disruptions, frontline health managers enacted a range of strategies to keep key services open, but many strategies were piecemeal, inconsistent and difficult to sustain. Interviewees reported huge negative health and financial strike impacts on local communities, and especially the poor. There is limited evidence of improved health system preparedness to cope with any future strikes.ConclusionStrikes cannot be seen in isolation of the prevailing policy and health systems context. The 2017 prolonged strikes highlight the underlying and longer-term frustration amongst public sector health workers in Kenya. The health system exhibited properties of complex adaptive systems that are interdependent and interactive. Reactive responses within the public system and the use of private healthcare led to limited continued activity through the strike, but were not sufficient to confer resilience to the shock of the prolonged strikes. To minimise the negative effects of strikes when they occur, careful monitoring and advanced planning is needed. Planning should aim to ensure that emergency and other essential services are maintained, threats between staff are minimized, health worker demands are reasonable, and that governments respect and honor agreements.