Book contents
- Decentralized Governance and Accountability
- Decentralized Governance and Accountability
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures and Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction
- 2 The Social Underpinnings of Decentralized Governance
- 3 Leadership Selection Rules and Decentralized Governance
- 4 Traditional Leaders, Service Delivery, and Electoral Accountability
- 5 Decentralized Rule and Revenue
- 6 The Proliferation of Decentralized Governing Units
- 7 Decentralization and Business Performance
- 8 Decentralization and Urban Governance in the Developing World
- 9 Decentralization in Post-Conflict Settings
- 10 Clientelism in Decentralized States
- 11 Decentralization and Ethnic Diversity
- 12 From Decentralization Research to Policy and Programs
- Index
- References
4 - Traditional Leaders, Service Delivery, and Electoral Accountability
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 February 2019
Book contents
- Decentralized Governance and Accountability
- Decentralized Governance and Accountability
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures and Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction
- 2 The Social Underpinnings of Decentralized Governance
- 3 Leadership Selection Rules and Decentralized Governance
- 4 Traditional Leaders, Service Delivery, and Electoral Accountability
- 5 Decentralized Rule and Revenue
- 6 The Proliferation of Decentralized Governing Units
- 7 Decentralization and Business Performance
- 8 Decentralization and Urban Governance in the Developing World
- 9 Decentralization in Post-Conflict Settings
- 10 Clientelism in Decentralized States
- 11 Decentralization and Ethnic Diversity
- 12 From Decentralization Research to Policy and Programs
- Index
- References
Summary
In this chapter, we review and synthesize the literature on the effects of traditional chiefs on public goods provision, government performance, and electoral accountability. Although traditional chiefs are not typically elected, there is great variation in their linkages with the communities they govern and their independence from the state. In cases where they have strong institutional, economic and social connections to their communities, they are often very effective in community mobilization. If the government is also interested in service delivery, the two actors can complement each other’s efforts to improve government performance in this area. The effects of traditional chiefs on electoral accountability are also conditional on their independence from the state. This suggests large potential benefits from donors working with locally embedded traditional leaders. However, at the same time, donors must be careful that their interventions do not weaken the embeddedness of traditional leaders in their communities in order to avoid adverse effects on accountability.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Decentralized Governance and AccountabilityAcademic Research and the Future of Donor Programming, pp. 61 - 90Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2019
References
Acemoglu, Daron, Reed, Tristan, and Robinson, James A.. 2014. “Chiefs: Economic Development and Elite Control of Civil Society in Sierra Leone.” Journal of Political Economy 122(2): 319–368.Google Scholar
Ayittey, George. 1991. Indigenous African Institutions. New York, NY: Transnational Publishers.Google Scholar
Baldwin, Kate. 2013. “Why Vote with the Chief? Political Connections and Public Goods Provision in Zambia.” American Journal of Political Science 57(4): 794–809.Google Scholar
Baldwin, Kate. 2014. “When Politicians Cede Control of Resources: Land, Chiefs, and Coalition-Building in Africa.” Comparative Politics 46(3): 253–271.Google Scholar
Baldwin, Kate. 2016a. “Hereditary Rule in Democratic Africa: Reconciling Citizens and Chiefs.” In Growing Democracy in Africa: Elections, Accountable Governance and Political Economy, ed. Ndulo, Muna and Gazibo, Mamoudou. New Castle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.Google Scholar
Baldwin, Kate. 2016b. The Paradox of Traditional Chiefs in Democratic Africa. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Baldwin, Kate. 2018. “Elected MPs, Traditional Chiefs, and Local Public Goods: Evidence on the Role of Leaders in Co-Production from Rural Zambia.” Comparative Political Studies.Google Scholar
Baldwin, Kate, Muyengwa, Shylock, and Mvukiyehe, Eric. 2016. “Reforming Village-Level Governance via Horizontal Pressure? Evidence from an Experiment in Zimbabwe.” Working Paper.Google Scholar
Baldwin, Kate and Mvukiyehe, Eric. 2015. “Elections and Collective Action: Evidence from Changes in Traditional Institutions in Liberia.” World Politics 67(4): 690–725.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beall, Jo, Mkhize, Sibongiseni, and Vawda, Shahid. 2005. “Emergent Democracy and ‘Resurgent’ Tradition: Institutions, Chieftaincy and Transition in KwaZulu-Natal.” Journal of Southern African Studies 31(4): 755–771.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beath, Andrew, Christia, Fotini, and Enikolopov, Ruben. 2013a. “Do Elected Councils Improve Governance? Experimental Evidence on Local Institutions in Afghanistan.” MIT Political Science Department Research Paper.Google Scholar
Beath, Andrew, Christia, Fotini, and Enikolopov, Ruben. 2013b. “Empowering Women through Development Aid: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Afghanistan.” American Political Science Review 107(3): 540–557.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boone, Catherine. 2003. Political Topographies of the African State: Territorial Authority and Institutional Choice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Buur, Lars and Kyed, Helene Maria. 2006. “Contested Sources of Authority: Re-Claiming State Sovereignty by Formalizing Traditional Authority in Mozambique.” Development and Change 37(4): 847–869.Google Scholar
Clayton, Amanda. 2014. “Electoral Gender Quotas and Attitudes toward Traditional Leaders: A Policy Experiment in Lesotho.” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 33(4): 1007–1026.Google Scholar
Clayton, Amanda, Noveck, Jennifer, and Levi, Margaret. 2015. “When Elites Meet: Decentralization, Power-Sharing, and Public Goods Provision in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone.” Policy Research Working Paper; no. WPS 7335.Google Scholar
Cruise O’Brien, Donal Brian. 1971. The Mourides of Senegal: The Political and Economic Organization of an Islamic Brotherhood. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Dal Bó, Pedro, Foster, Andrew, and Putterman, Louis. 2010. “Institutions and Behavior: Experimental Evidence on the Effects of Democracy.” American Economic Review 100(5): 2205–2229.Google Scholar
De Kadt, Daniel and Larreguy, Horacio Arbesu. 2018. Agents of the regime? Traditional leaders and electoral politics in South Africa. The Journal of Politics, 80(2), pp.382–399.Google Scholar
Deininger, Klaus and Binswanger, Hans. 1999. “The Evolution of the World Bank’s Land Policy: Principles, Experience, and Future Challenges.” World Bank Research Observer 14(2): 247–276.Google Scholar
Dempsey, John and Coburn, Noah. 2010. “Traditional Dispute Resolution and Stability in Afghanistan.” Peace Brief. Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace.Google Scholar
Denney, Lisa. 2013. “Liberal Chiefs or Illiberal Development? The Challenge of Engaging Chiefs in DFID’s Security Sector Reform Programme in Sierra Leone.” Development Policy Review 31(1): 5–25.Google Scholar
Díaz-Cayeros, Alberto, Magaloni, Beatriz, and Ruiz-Euler, Alexander. 2014. “Traditional Governance, Citizen Engagement, and Local Public Goods: Evidence from Mexico.” World Development 53: 80–93.Google Scholar
Englebert, Pierre. 2002. “Born-Again Buganda or the Limits of Traditional Resurgence in Africa.” Journal of Modern African Studies 40(3): 345–368.Google Scholar
Fanthorpe, Richard. 2004. “Post-War Reconstruction in Rural Sierra Leone: What Political Structures May Prove Viable.” Final Report for DFID Security Sector Reform Project. London: Department for International Development.Google Scholar
Fanthorpe, Richard. 2006. “On the Limits of Liberal Peace: Chiefs and Democratic Decentralization in Post-War Sierra Leone.” African Affairs 105(418): 27–49.Google Scholar
Fry, Peter. 1997. “Final Evaluation of the Decentralization/Traditional Authority Component of the Africa-America Institute’s Project ‘Democratic Development in Mozambique’” (Cooperative Agreement# 656-A-00-4029-00). Maputo, Mozambique: USAID.Google Scholar
Giuliano, Paola and Nunn, Nathan. 2013. “The Transmission of Democracy: From the Village to the Nation-State.” American Economic Review 103(3): 86–92.Google Scholar
Gottlieb, Jessica. 2017. “Explaining Variation in Broker Strategies: A Lab-in-the-Field Experiment in Senegal.” Comparative Politics Studies 50(11): 1556–1592.Google Scholar
Grindle, Merilee S. 2004. “Good Enough Governance: Poverty Reduction and Reform in Developing Countries.” Governance 17(4): 525–548.Google Scholar
Grindle, Merilee S. 2007. “Good Enough Governance Revisited.” Development Policy Review 25(5): 533–574.Google Scholar
Grossman, Guy and Baldassarri, Delia. 2012. “The Impact of Elections on Cooperation: Evidence from a Lab-in-the-Field Experiment in Uganda.” American Journal of Political Science 56(4): 964–985.Google Scholar
Hartman, Alexandra. 2015. “This Land Is My Land: Access to Justice and the Sacred Stakes of Land Disputes in Liberia.” PhD Dissertation, Yale University.Google Scholar
Henley, David and Davidson, Jamie S.. 2008. “In the Name of Adat: Regional Perspectives on Reform, Tradition, and Democracy in Indonesia.” Modern Asian Studies 42(4): 815–852.Google Scholar
Herbst, Jeffrey. 2000. States and Power in Africa: Comparative Lessons in Authority and Control. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Holzinger, Katharina, Kern, Florian, and Kromrey, Daniela. 2013. “Database of the Constitutions of Sub-Saharan Africa.” Universitat Konstanz.Google Scholar
Holzinger, Katharina, Kern, Florian G., and Kromrey, Daniela. 2016. “The Dualism of Contemporary Traditional Governance and the State: Institutional Setups and Political Consequences.” Political Research Quarterly 69(3): 469–481.Google Scholar
Holzinger, Katharina, van der Haer, Roos, Bayer, Axel, Behr, Daniela, and Neupert-Wentz, Clara. 2018. “The Constitutionalization of Ethnic Group Rights, Customary Law, and Traditional Political Institutions.” Comparative Political Studies.Google Scholar
Honig, Lauren. 2015. “Land, State-Building, and Political Authority in Senegal.” Working Paper.Google Scholar
Jochem, Torsten, Murtazashvili, Ilia, and Murtazashvili, Jennifer. 2016. “Establishing Local Government in Fragile States: Experimental Evidence from Afghanistan.” World Development 77: 293–310.Google Scholar
Kelsall, Tim. 2008. “Going with the Grain in African Development?” Development Policy Review 26(6): 627–655.Google Scholar
Koter, Dominika. 2013. “King Makers: Local Leaders and Ethnic Politics in Africa.” World Politics 65(2): 187–232.Google Scholar
Lake, David A. and Baum, Matthew A.. 2001. “The Invisible Hand of Democracy Political Control and the Provision of Public Services.” Comparative Political Studies 34(6): 587–621.Google Scholar
Logan, Carolyn. 2009. “Selected Chiefs, Elected Councillors and Hybrid Democrats: Popular Perspectives on the Co-Existence of Democracy and Traditional Authority.” Journal of Modern African Studies 47(1): 101–128.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Logan, Carolyn. 2013. “The Roots of Resilience: Exploring Popular Support for African Traditional Authorities.” African Affairs 112(448): 353–376.Google Scholar
Mamdani, Mahmood. 1996. Citizen and Subject: Contemporary Africa and the Legacy of Late Colonialism. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Mattingly, Daniel. 2016. Elite capture: How decentralization and informal institutions weaken property rights in China. World Politics, 68(3), pp.383–412.Google Scholar
Michalopoulos, Stelios and Papaioannou, Elias. 2015. “On the Ethnic Origins of African Development: Chiefs and Precolonial Political Centralization.” Academy of Management Perspectives 29(1): 32–71.Google Scholar
Murdock, George Peter. 1967. Ethnographic Atlas. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press.Google Scholar
Murtazashvili, Jennifer Brick. 2016. Informal Order and the State in Afghanistan. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Ntsebeza, Lungisile. 2005. Democracy Compromised: Chiefs and the Politics of the Land in South Africa. Leiden: Brill.Google Scholar
Nuesiri, Emmanuel O. 2014. “The Re-Emergence of Customary Authority and Its Relation with Local Democratic Government.” RFGI Working Paper.Google Scholar
Ranger, Terence O. 1983. “The Invention of Tradition in Colonial Africa.” In The Invention of Tradition, ed. Ranger, Terence O. and Hobsbawm, Eric J.. Pp. 597–612. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Sandefur, Justin and Siddiqi, Bilal. 2013. “Delivering Justice to the Poor: Theory and Experimental Evidence from Liberia.” Working Paper.Google Scholar
Schultz, Anna, Wibbels, Erik, and Huntington, Heather. 2015. “Clientelism, Tribes and Governance: Evidence from Ghana.” Working Paper.Google Scholar
Sheely, Ryan. 2013a. “Maintaining Local Public Goods: Evidence from Rural Kenya.” Working Paper.Google Scholar
Sheely, Ryan. 2013b. “Skipping the State: Ethnographic and Experimental Evidence on the Dynamics of Non-State Social Welfare Provision in Sierra Leone.” Working Paper.Google Scholar
Stasavage, David. 2005. “Democracy and Education Spending in Africa.” American Journal of Political Science 49(2): 343–358.Google Scholar
Tsai, Lily L. 2007a. Accountability without Democracy: Solidary Groups and Public Goods Provision in Rural China. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Tsai, Lily L. 2007b. “Solidary Groups, Informal Accountability, and Local Public Goods Provision in Rural China.” American Political Science Review 101(2): 355–372.Google Scholar
Turley, Ty, Voors, Maarten, Bulte, Erwin, Kontoleon, Andreas, and List, John A.. 2017. “Chief for a Day. Elite Capture and Management Performance: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Sierra Leone.” Management Science.Google Scholar
Vajja, Anu and White, Howard. 2008. Can the World Bank build social capital? The experience of social funds in Malawi and Zambia. The Journal of Development Studies, 44(8), pp.1145–1168.Google Scholar
Van Cott, Donna Lee. 2008. Radical Democracy in the Andes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
West, Harry G. and Kloeck-Jenson, Scott. 1999. “Betwixt and Between: ‘Traditional Authority’ and Democratic Decentralization in Post-War Mozambique.” African Affairs 98(393): 455–484.Google Scholar
Xu, Yiqing and Yao, Yang. 2015. “Informal Institutions, Collective Action, and Public Investment in Rural China.” American Political Science Review 109(2): 371–391.Google Scholar
- 9
- Cited by