ABSTRACT
Local government administration over the past three decades has been hindered by the issues of accountability and transparency in meeting the needs and demands of local citizens. One of the mechanisms used by citizens to ensure accountability among local public officials is through local elections. Meanwhile, studies have shown that elections have a periodic interval for at least four years in ensuring accountability among public officials. This according to studies leads to the manipulation of local citizens by the ruling elites in society. This thesis seeks to investigate the Social Audit Committee as a vertical accountability tool aside election which has a periodic interval in enhancing vertical accountability among local officials at the GA-East Municipal Assembly. The qualitative approach to a research study was used in conducting the study and data was collected through the use of an interview guide and reports from the Assembly. Findings from the study revealed that vertical accountability is practised at GA-East Municipal Assembly through the participating of the social audit committee (SAC) members in the budgeting preparation, monitoring, and evaluation of projects and programs. Also, the study revealed that the lack of resources, capacity building, right to information, legal standing, effective complain mechanism, political will, voice, and effective participation are a daunting impediment to the successful implementation of vertical accountability by Social Audit Committee at the GA-East Municipal Assembly.
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION AND STUDY BACKGROUND
Introduction
This chapter presents a general overview of the study. The chapter comprises of the background statement, research problem, research objective, and questions. The final part of the chapter outlines how the study has been grouped into individual chapters.
Study Background
Over the past three decades, decentralization and local government accountability gained significant attention around the world, with major reforms in developing countries across Africa (Schneider, 2003). Local government is a system that brings government closer to the doorsteps of the local citizens with the aim of improving participation, accountability and effective delivery of services (Ahwoi, 2010; Ayee, 2008; Crooks, 1994; Debrah, 2014;
Reddy, 1999).
Local government is practised among citizens and individuals of different social groups with the aim of providing them with a sense of belongingness (Degraft-Arthur, 2016). This sense of belongingness and participation in local activities is based on the quality of a persistent local government which however is considered a problem undermining development in poor countries regarding local service provision (Akorli, 2013; Antwi- Boasiako & Bonna, 2009; Sharma, 2008; Serdar Yilmaz, Yakup Beris, & Rodrigo Serrano-Berthet, 2008).
In recent years, governments around the world are faced with the problem of transparency; enhanced timely delivery of services and accountability in the performance of their daily duties (Center for Democratic Development (CDD), 2017). These numerous challenges of centralized government called for increased needs of government to ensure open, responsive and accessible government by all citizens (CDD, 2017). One of the major challenges of centralized government in Africa was observed between the year 1980s and 1990s when the socio-economic needs of citizens were rarely met, and development was seen as a challenge (Degraft- Arthur, 2016).
To address this challenges, powers, functions, authorities, responsibilities, and resources are moved from the central government to Sub-units levels of government through decentralization (Debrah, 2016; Ayee, 2008) to ensure an effective implementation of activities at the sub-unit levels of government. Also, decentralization is practised to enhance service delivery, governance and to ensure local government accountability among local public officials as well as to ensure an effective use of resources, authorities, and powers among government officials (Ahwoi, 2010; Smoke, 2015). In addition, decentralization is implemented to ensure the full participation of citizens in local government activities at the local levels to help address accountability issues among elected and bureaucratic public officials (Smoke, 2003).
In as much as governments implement decentralized policies and interventions to resolve the problem of accountability, studies have shown that decentralization has been unsuccessful in ensuring accountability among local public officials due to its inability to ensure local government devoid of central interference and control, Thus decentralization is being judged by some scholars as not fully implemented (McNeil & Mumvuma 2006).
The ineffectiveness of decentralization in ensuring accountability among public officials gave major attention to the election of leaders. Also, the elected individual’s inability to meet the demands of citizens is described by some scholars as a mechanism of weakening government at the lower levels. This inability of local elected leaders to effectively provide the needs of local citizens leads to apathy, disappointment and affects the practise of good local governance (Berthin, 2011; Malena et al., 2004).
Statement of the Problem
During the early years of the 1980s, decentralization was held and promoted as a fulcrum of development, accountability, transparency, public participation and an effective governance mechanism for development (Debrah, 2016; Shah, 2006; World Bank, 2008). After several years of the introduction of decentralization, evidence abounds that, it does not often lead to accountability as public officials are caught up in traps of rent-seeking, clientelism, and corruption (Ackerman, 2004; Smoke, 2015). This led to the call for governments to enhance accountability in public management (Lindberg, 2013; World Bank, 2017). Studies have shown that citizens are demanding improvement from the government in the provision of services and transparent performance from local public officials (World Bank, 2017).
Studies in developing countries such as Ghana, Uganda, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, India, Nigeria, Mali, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Philippines have established that, authorities in local government do not account to local citizens in the performance of their duties and responsibilities (Awortwi, 2010; Center for Democratic Development, 2017; Conyers, 2007; Dickovic & Wunsch, 2014; Gyampo & Debrah, 2014, Smoke, 2003; UNESCO, 2007). Thus, local public officials are seen as being more accountable to their appointing
authorities than the citizens whom they serve (Ahwoi, 2010; Akorli, 2013; Debrah, 2014; Nyendu, 2015).
According to Olsen (2015), accountability ensures transparency by providing an open flow of information between the public and government. However, the demand for accountability form local public officials have attracted the attention of most governments as a means to deepened democracy and to improve local government (Arneil, 2017; Crook, 2017; Olsen, 2015; Smoke, 2015; World Bank, 2017; Yilmaz et al., 2008). A study conducted by Francis and James (2003) in Uganda, Brazil, and Columbia revealed that decentralization has striven to achieve poverty reduction, accountability, and increased citizen participation amid devolved powers and authorities. Also, Adolwine (2015) and Smoke, (2003) argued that decentralization has failed in ensuring direct participation and accountability at the local levels of government.
Ghana’s local government is not exempted from the accountability dilemma. The issue of local government accountability in Ghana has led to the vast and widespread local concern for effective and transparent public management (CDD, 2017). To ensure that local government becomes more responsive and accountable to local citizens, popular calls have been made to the government to give citizens the right to directly participate in the selection of their District Chief Executives (DCE’s) through election to ensure accountable delivery of service (CDD, 2017). Also, in Ghana, a report by the CDD (2017) showed that, there is an increased decline in the level of trust from citizens with respect to the appointment of DCEs by the president from 54% in 2005 to 47% in 2017, thereby making DCEs less accountable to the local citizens in Ghana (CDD, 2017).
Further, studies conducted on elections, as an effective vertical accountability mechanism has established that election as a vertical accountability tool for sanctioning public officials has a periodic interval for ensuring accountability. The periodic interval by which citizens vote and hold local officials accountable leads to the manipulation of the electorate by the ruling elites in society (Achen & Bartels, 2016; Brennan, 2016, Evans, 2004; Schedler 2002). By taking the argument into consideration, elections may not necessarily lead to an improvement in vertical accountability. Nevertheless, it is regarded as the most effective mechanism for enhancing governance at the lower level despite the manipulation of citizens and the long period it takes to enforce sanction.
From the challenges identified on election as an effective accountability mechanism disclosed above. This study seeks to investigate the Social Audit Committee (Hereafter known as SAC) practices in improving vertical accountability between local public officials at the GA-East Municipal and the SAC. This study is aimed at investigating the practices of SAC and some challenges the committee faces in ensuring vertical accountability among local public officials at the GA-East Municipal Assembly.
Research Objectives
The objective of the study is to investigate the nature of social audit and accountability within GA-East Municipal Assembly. The specific objectives are;
- To examine the practice of vertical accountability between the local government authority and the Social Audit Committee of the GA-East Municipal Assembly.
- To investigate the effectiveness of the Social Audit Committee in ensuring vertical accountability of the GA-East Municipal Assembly.
- To investigate the challenges faced by Social Audit Committee in demanding vertical accountability from GA-East Municipal Assembly officials.
Research Questions
- How is vertical accountability practiced between the GA-East Municipal Assembly and Social Audit Committee?
- How effective is the Social Audit Committee in ensuring vertical accountability among officials at the GA-East Municipal Assembly?
- What are the challenges faced by the Social Auditor Committee in demanding vertical accountability from at the GA-East Municipal Assembly?
The Significance of the Study
The significance of the research is illustrated in three dimensions. These are the research benefit to policy formulation, practice, and future research. In terms of policy formulation, the study will inform local authorities to formulate policies that will encourage participatory democracy to ensure local government accountability. In terms of practice, the study will broaden understanding among citizens, practitioners, government and policy makers on the challenges faced by social groups in demanding accountability. Lastly, the study provides information which will contribute to existing literature on vertical accountability at the grassroots level.
