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Stefan Leiderer et al.
Box 11:
Counterproductive competition among local stakeholders
The PFM cycle process at district level and beyond seems to be based on a sound
regulatory framework. The principles of broad participatory and bottom-up planning
and implementation are very well integrated into the formal procedures. However,
it is striking that organisational structures especially at community level are sometimes
not clear. Counterproductive competition among local stakeholders is common.
This becomes obvious in the relations between chiefs (TA), councillors, and Members
of the National Parliament (MPs). In Malawi’s rural society Traditional Authorities
tend to receive more respect than elected local councillors. The same applies
to MPs who are perceived to represent a higher authority than local assembly
members. It is common practise in Malawi that TAs with good local connections are
used by national politics to gain additional political support at the grass roots level.
TAs who are successful in acting as local agents for development are more likely to
link up with their communities in their areas and districts. This strengthens their
trustworthiness for the people and on the other hand makes them more interesting
for national politics to broaden their support. In sum, the better TAs prove their
connections, the better they can also benefit from national politics and thus have an
incentive to broaden their clientelistic relations. Nevertheless, this means that TAs
have to interfere in local procedures, which in theory are reserved for elected officials
such as councillors. This observation has important implications for the way in
which the devolution process is undertaken to empower the citizenry so that it can
hold public officials and institutions to account for their performance in the delivery
of public goods and services
Source: MoLGRD (2005); own compilation
84 German Development Institute