Decentralization, Democracy, andDevelopment : Recent Experience from Sierra Leone

Zhou, Yongmei

World Bank

关键词: ADMINISTRATION INFRASTRUCTION;    CITIZEN PARTICIPATION;    DECENTRALIZATION;    DEMOCRACY;    DEMOCRATIC ELECTION;   

DOI  :  10.1596/978-0-8213-7999-8
RP-ID  :  50361

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

In 2004, the government of Sierra Leoneopted for a rethink of its national governance arrangementby embarking on the resuscitation of democratically electedlocal government after 32 years experimenting with centralgovernment appointed district and municipal governments. Thedecision by the government and the people of Sierra Leonewas driven by a primary consideration to address thecountry's seeming nonperformance in the areas ofcitizens' participation in governance and responding tothe needs of citizens as it relates to attainment of theMillennium Development Goals (MDGs) as well as ensuringpoverty reduction in the country. This book is aretrospective of the decentralization reform process inSierra Leone from 2003-07. During this period, theGovernment of Sierra Leone (GoSL) reestablished electeddistrict and urban councils across the country, transferredcertain responsibilities for primary services and localinvestment and some financial resources to the new councils,and invested heavily in building the administrativeinfrastructure and capacity of the local councils. Theauthor is partners who were intimately involved in thereform. Through recording various aspects of the process andreflecting on the observations and learning during thattime, the author hope to contribute to the debates on themerits and risks of decentralization in general and itsdesirability and viability in post-conflict countries.