COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF DECENTRALIZATION IN AFRICA : FINAL REPORT AND SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors would like to express their gratitude to the many people who contributed their energy, time, and ideas to this report. The standard disclaimer applies that any errors of fact or interpretation are the responsibility of the authors, and not of those listed below. Our first debt of gratitude is to those at USAID and ARD, Inc. who have overseen the project and made it possible. Ryan McCannell (Africa Bureau) had an original vision for a project that would ask a comparative question about what policymakers need to know about decentralization experiences in Africa, and followed it up with guidance and support impressive both in quantity and in quality. He and Jeremy Meadows (Africa Bureau) have offered insightful suggestions, critiques, and corrections throughout the process. In USAID's Democracy and Governance Office, Ed Connerley (Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance [DCHA]) brought his extensive knowledge of decentralization, as well as his wealth of experience and insights to the project. His tireless efforts improved each of the components of this overall study. Others at USAID also worked hard to develop elements that will be included as annexes to the report. The Knowledge Services Team worked on supporting documents, including a comparative template and reports on " Taxation at 30,000 Feet ". We would also like to thank Sawyer Blazek for his report on public opinion, as well as Kellie Burk for her continued thoughts on AfroBarometer. We would like to thank the Democracy and Governance Officers that participated in a discussion of the project on " Africa Day " for their questions and remarks. At ARD, Kathy Stermer has overseen the project from beginning to end, from ensuring adequate guidance for our studies to overseeing the finalization of the reports. Chelsea Keyser has managed and administered many of the aspects of the project as Project Manager. We are grateful and thankful to them for their coordination of the 16 reports (a desk study for each of the 10 selected countries in Africa, an in-country study for five of the 10 selected countries, and a single comparative report of the findings from all 10 countries), which presented a massive task both logistically and intellectually. Several of the leading scholars in the field of decentralization helped greatly with improving the study. Jesse Ribot and Jonathan Rodden offered extensive and thoughtful commentary on a draft of this comparative study, while Per Tidemand …

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