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Parliamentary-Executive Relations in Malawi 1994-2004
Get PDFThis article addresses the relationship between the legislative and executive branches of government in Malawi during the multi-party era from 1994 until
2004. The argument is threefold. First, the presidential nature of Malawi’s political regime assigns parliament to a secondary role. Second, the general framework of parliamentary-executive relations laid down in the constitution gives scope for accentuating this subordinate position through iterative practices. Third, the persistence of personalised patronage in Malawian politics leads to the further reinforcement of parliamentary subservience where political principles and positions are sacrificed on the altar of venality. A perception has spread that parliament is a mere pawn in the political game or a rubber stamp of the executive’s decisions. This article will seek to adduce empirical evidence to substantiate this argument
Of Oranges and Bananas: The 2005 Kenya Referendum on the Constitution
Get PDFOn 21 November 2005, a referendum on a proposed new constitution was held in Kenya, which was conducted in a peaceful and orderly manner. The poll represented the will of the Kenyan people through a process and a vote that were largely free and fair. The campaign was organized in two referendum camps, respectively referred to as Bananas (“yes”) and Oranges (“no”). The proposed new constitution was rejected by 57 per cent of the votes cast, while 43 per cent voted in favour. The voter turnout was slightly above 52 per cent. The print and electronic media covered both sides of the campaign in a balanced manner.
The state-controlled Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, however, was biased in favour of the “yes” campaign. The referendum campaign reconfirmed that Kenyan politics is characterized by ethno-political cleavages, and political loyalty based on ethnicity. It is reasonable to interpret the result as a popular demand for an alternative new constitution, implying that the constitutional issue has not yet been resolved
Mid-Term Review of the Angola Programme of Norwegian People's Aid
Get PDFThe purpose of this review is to assist Norwegian People’s Aid in adapting its
Angola programme to reach the objectives it has set for the period from 2004 to
2007. NPA presently works in five provinces and employs more than 550 persons in Angola, and the country programme has an annual budget of approximately 60 million NOK. The NPA Angola strategy for 2004-2007 focuses on land and resource rights and democratic rights and participation, and the work is organised within two programmes: mine action (approximately 85 percent of financial resources) and development (15 percent).
The review concludes that NPA is on track towards reaching many of the goals it has identified for its work in Angola during the period in question. We commend NPA Angola for its professionalism, innovation, and ambition. An important reason why some goals are still far from being reached is, however, that they are very ambitious - and that the number of goals is quite high. Concentrating activities is therefore a key recommendation
Kingship in Uganda. The Role of the Uganda Kingdom in Ugandan Politics
Get PDFThis article aims at providing a framework to understand the role of the
Buganda kingdom in contemporary Ugandan politics, and more specifically how the Buganda question has influenced political debates in Uganda since its restoration in 1993 .
Since the restoration of traditional leaders in Uganda in 1993, the consent of the Buganda kingdom has served as an important support-base for politicians running for office both in the 1996 and 2001 presidential elections. In this sense, the Buganda kingdom has managed to influence national politics despite of its cultural character, and has re-entered the political arena as a significant pressure group more than thirty years after its abolition. The issues debated prior to the elections in 1996 and 2001in particular related to Buganda’s quest for self-determination through a federal state structure
Bridging Research and Development Assistance. A Review of Danish Research Networks
Get PDFDanida has provided financial support to research networks with a view to creating better synergies between research and policy/operations. Six networks were reviewed in the fields of health; poultry; agriculture; governance, economic policy and public administration; water; and the environment. The task of research networks in knowledge management is four-fold: knowledge (a) production; (b) dissemination; (c) application; and (d) impact. Research is expected to perform all these tasks. The effectiveness and efficiency of the networks were adversely affected by two main factors. First, the changing aid architecture has involved decentralisation; liberalisation and untying; and budget support and sector-wide approaches, all of which have posed formidable challenges with regard to funding mechanism for research components. Second, the incomplete restructuring of the research council design in Denmark has left the development research community in limbo. Overall, the networks have been successful in consolidating the Danish resource base. They have also largely been successful in disseminating research findings to Danida. The networks have been less effective in bringing relevant knowledge through to application in sector programmes, in large measure due to the new aid architecture. Little is so far known about impact. The costeffectiveness of the networks is difficult to assess in precise terms. As one-stop facilities their performance is fairly efficient
Nordic Exeptionalism in Development Assistance? Aid Policies and the Major Donors: The Nordic Countries
Get PDFThe Nordic countries are often praised for their efforts in development assistance and commended for their generosity. Over the last few decades the Nordic countries and the Netherlands have consistently been among the most generous donors. What is it that makes them more generous and seemingly less selfish than most other donor countries? Are they so much more altruistic than most other donors? In all the Nordic countries, the modes and ways of dealing with aid are in the process of undergoing substantial changes, both in terms of how the donors organise their activities and how aid is delivered. This study aims to understand and explain the Nordic countries’ aid policies and practices. It elaborates on the main underpinnings of their aid policies, how they are shaped and how they have transformed into practice at the more general level. The study focuses on recent and current developments, but is also briefly giving an outline of the historical background. A field report from the Nordic countries’ operations in Tanzania is also presented, which will provide some insights into their operations at the country level
Economic Prospects for Ethiopia and Challenges for Poverty Reduction
Get PDFThe report analyses Ethiopia’s economic performance and expected future development. The economic growth rate is likely to remain high despite large fluctuations in agricultural production. Projections indicate, however, that Government’s target of 7 % growth for 2006 is around 2 percentage points too high.
Higher growth rates are expected if political polarization in Ethiopia is reduced. The rising inflation has been a source of concern, but price increases now seem to be under control. The increase in oil prices and the suspension of Direct Budget Support by donors are other factors straining the Ethiopian economy. In this situation with scarce foreign exchange, the removal of petrol subsidies seems warranted.
Furthermore, challenges for the Ethiopian poverty reduction strategy (PASDEP) are discussed. The PASDEP clearly links growth strategies to poverty reduction, and the poverty analysis in the document is coherent with the strategies outlined. However, distributional issues seem to be overlooked and further analysis is needed to identify which groups will benefit from the proposed policies and which groups will lag behind.
The report, commissioned by the Norwegian Embassy in Addis Ababa, points at the following main issues for the Embassy to follow up:
•Assess Norway’s potential for fostering institutions for exploring and developing the energy sector in
Ethiopia
•Monitor the efforts by donors to close the financing gap in the PASDEP
•Address the importance of maintaining peace and stability for economic performance in general, and for the tourist industry in particular
•Address the inefficiencies of user fees in primary education
•Commission a study of distributional effects of implementing the PASDEP
•Commission a study of the impact of the suspension of Direct Budget Suppor
Review of Norwegian Earthquake Assistance to Pakistan 2005 and 2006
Get PDFThe massive earthquake that struck northern parts of Pakistan and India on 8
October 2005, led to the loss of more than 75 000 lives, 100 000 were severely injured and 2.8 million were left without shelter. The relief response was immediate but demanding. It was a race against time to provide assistance before the onset of winter and to reach the most remote areas.
The Norwegian Government responded quickly, and prioritised support to
Norwegian NGOs with prior experience and networks in Pakistan, Pakistani NGOs with a strong local presence and UN agencies. The total Norwegian earthquake assistance was NOK 522 million, and was generally judged to be delivered in a professional, effective and efficient manner.
The new UN Cluster approach was tested in Pakistan. Cluster Heads assigned responsibilities as to agencies with technical expertise, while OCHA had an overall coordination responsibility. This evaluation finds that while the cluster approach improves the relief work, there are a number of weaknesses identified which needs further attention. An important weakness in the current response was that gender issues and women were not prioritised, despite the fact that women had taken on much of the early relief responsibility in the villages, and were particularly vulnerable in the camp environment
Review of Right to Play
Get PDFRight to Play (former Olympic Aid), is an athlete-driven international humanitarian organisation which uses sport and play as a development tool for children and youth. The central delivery method is through international volunteers who teach RTP modules to local coaches based in refugee camps, at schools, or in community based organisations. This review was commissioned by Norad and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the team visited RTP projects in Pakistan and Tanzania. The team found that RTP employ very different methods in different locations, and that the degree of partnership, local involvement, and coaches’ satisfaction, varies a lot. RTP is a young organisation and has expanded very rapidly, presently running projects in more than 20 countries. The team warns RTP against expanding to new countries for the time being. The organisation has proved to be cost effective in the field, and has a dedicated and professional staff. Provided the organisation follows up on their plans for hiring more local staff and decentralising training and administration, as well as making strategies for how to improve partnerships with local organisations and government authorities, the review team supports the idea of long-term funding of RTP projects
"Opitanha" Social Relations of Rural Poverty in Northern Mozambique
Get PDFResearch-based information is recognised as crucial for Mozambique’s endeavours to reduce
its poverty. This first report in a series of three qualitative studies on poverty in Mozambique
focuses on the district of Murrupula in Nampula province. In Chapter 1 we argue that qualitative
studies are important for the monitoring and evaluation of poverty reduction policies. They
inform quantitative data and correlations by testing causal hypotheses on the ground. They
discover processes and interdependencies related to non-tangible dimensions of poverty such
as vulnerability and powerlessness. They test and reassess central concepts and units of poverty
analysis. Finally, they involve the poor themselves in the analysis of their own situation in ways
that are difficult with formal questionnaire surveys.
In Chapter 2 we present central quantitative expressions of poverty in Mozambique
as points of reference. We start by outlining some of the broad development trends, including
urbanisation, feminisation of poverty and HIV/AIDS, and then analyse data on Mozambique and
Nampula to highlight similarities and differences. Chapter 3 provides a background profile of the
area under study, predicated on the assumption that the political, economic and sociocultural
context is important for understanding social relations of poverty. A brief history emphasising
how Murrupula was constrained in its development through the late colonial era, the Frelimo
socialist experiment and the war leads into an outline of the responsibilities of the District
Administration, the role of traditional authorities, and the overall social and economic situation
in the district.
Chapter 4 is built around the survey undertaken for this study, and outlines socioeconomic
conditions and determinants of poverty with a focus on employment and income, education and
health. It also looks at the implications of geographical space, especially distance from the main
economic and population centres, for poverty and poverty alleviation. Chapter 5 focuses on
the issue of social relations of poverty, and processes of impoverishment, marginalisation and
social exclusion. Its point of departure is people’s own emic perceptions of poverty, examining
relationships between different categories of the poor within the household and the extended
family, traditional institutions and the state. Chapter 6 concludes, drawing some preliminary
policy implications and outlining the planned follow-up of the current study in urban Maputo and
coastal Sofala respectively