TASAF – a support or an obstacle to local government reform?
In response to pressure in the parliament, the government has recently stated that it is considering extending the Tanzania Social Action Fund – TASAF to all districts as from 2005.
Councillors and community leaders-partnership or conflict of interest? Lessons from the Sustainable Mwanza Project
One central Objective of Local Government Reform Programme – LGRP is foresting of public-private partnerships in delivering of essential services at a community level.
New challenges for local government revenue enhancement
The recent rationalisation of local government taxes and, in particular, the abolishment of the development levy, imply that many district councils, in the short run, will lose 40-50 percent of their own generated revenues. This has raised concern among stakeholders at both the local and central levels that the financial autonomy of local authorities is […]
Domestic Water Supply: The Need for a Big Push
Accessibility to clean and safe water for every household has been seen for decades as a core element of basic needs and human rights. The Government of Tanzania (GoT) has endorsed the UN Millennium Development Goals, including the pledge to reduce by half by the year 2015 the proportion of people who do not have […]
Trust in Public Finance: Citizens’ Views on Taxation by Local Authorities in Tanzania
Part of the problem of raising local government revenues in Tanzania is persistent public resistance to paying, as evidenced by widespread tax evasion and non-payment of fees and charges. In the standard economic model of taxpayer behaviour, the perceived quality of the government does not influence the level of taxes remitted. The basic behavioural assumption […]
What is the Tanzania Governance Notice Board
Tanzania Participatory Poverty Assessment Guides 2002 – 2003
A plain-language guide on poverty and vulnerability in Tanzania is available. The guide examines issues such as: What makes some people poor or vulnerable? Which groups of people are more likely to be poorer tomorrow than today – and why?
Fees at the dispensary level: Is universal access being compromised?
The Local Government Reform Programme – LGR target to strengthen grassroots institution to govern, mobilize, manage resources and provide social services through participatory processes that have been well defined from hamlet to council level.
Low awareness amongst citizens of local government reforms
The overriding goal of the Local Government Reform (LGR) Programme is to improve public services to ordinary citizens. This reform programme appears to be one of the least known policy reforms in Tanzania. In this brief, we present the results from a comprehensive citizens’ survey of the LGR. This survey was conducted recently and identifies the […]
Equity Implications of Health Sector User Fees in Tanzania
Is the community health fund better than user fees for financing public health care?
Local Institution have big potential for improving public health services if they could effectively manage the local delivery process and was feasible, mobilize community contributions to complement the resources they receive from the government
Are fees the major barrier to accessing public health care?
The major concern of the current health sector reform is the impact on the poor on their access to public health services. Reseach on the performance of user fees at the hospital level in Tanzania has found that the expenditure contribution from cost sharing has averaged between 20 to 65% and the availability of drugs […]
Primary education since the introduction of the Primary Education Development Plan
The Primary Education Development Plan (PEDP) was introduced in July 2001. The plan included the abolition of school fees, increased teacher recruitment, investment grants for new buildings as well as community mobilisation and empowerment of school committees.
Summary of conclusions from recent research and synthesis of key issues on poverty in Tanzania
Launched in 2000, the Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) is the basis of Tanzania’s post Millennium social and economic development efforts. PRS focuses on (1) reducing income poverty; (2) improving human capabilities, survival, and social well-being; and (3) containing extreme vulnerability among the poor.
Citizens’ access to information on local government finances
Citizens’ access to information on local government and accounts is often considered a necessary condition for good governance. Without basic information on public revenues and expenditures, people cannot hold their leaders and executive officers accountable.
Vulnerability and Social Protection Programmes in Tanzania
This report describes the extent to which major social protection and risk management programmes and strategies adopted in Tanzania have contributed in shielding the extremely vulnerable individuals, households and communities in urban and rural areas from becoming poorer.