Corruption Anti-corruption and its Discontents

Essay from the year 2015 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Region: Africa grade: HD Murdoch University (Sir Walter School of Public Policy and International Affairs) course: Development Studies language: English abstract: Given the conflicting ideas surrounding the impacts of decentralisation as predicted this essay argues that while decentralisation may have contributed to improving good governance in certain countries around the world the contrary holds for sub-Saharan countries. Thus this essay explores the extent at which decentralisation has contributed to fighting corruption in the sub-Sahara. Overwhelmed by bad governance an eyesore of poverty and disease the relics of prolong corruption and misrule have pushed developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa and their counterparts the World Bank (WB) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) into political administrative and economic reforms. Since the 1990s decentralisation has been a key policy instrument advocated and favoured by governments donor countries civil society and international institutions to engender good governance. Many countries in Africa have speedily implemented political administrative and fiscal decentralisation within the last three decades (Conyers 2007; Dickovick and Wunsch 2014). The primary or perhaps the profound motivation for the wave of decentralisation around the world particularly in sub-Saharan is based on the conceptual argument that it offers potential benefits. According to proponents in a decentralised governance system where power and resources are devolved services will increase alongside efficiency. Productive and economic growth will inhibit rent-seeking encouraging downward accountability to promote civic participation in decision-making. This will eventually alleviate poverty and reduce corruption. It is expected that where these goals are achieved the level of human development index will rise in sub-Saharan Africa. In spite of th