Information and service delivery : case studies from Kenya and Ethiopia (original) (raw)
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Despite considerable investment, public services in most developing countries are widely perceived to be unsatisfactory and deteriorating. The poor and disadvantaged in developing countries suffer in relation to delivery of public services. First, they lack access to those services due to physical, financial, informational, political and other barriers. Second, they lack effective mechanisms for feeding back their complaints, views and requests in relation to those services. As a result, public services to the poor lack transparency, accountability and quality. The poor and the disadvantaged are particularly vulnerable as they rely completely on the state for accessing critical services such as drinking water, health and education.
Despite considerable investment, public services in most developing countries are widely perceived to be unsatisfactory and deteriorating. The poor and disadvantaged in developing countries suffer in relation to delivery of public services. First, they lack access to those services due to physical, financial, informational, political and other barriers. Second, they lack effective mechanisms for feeding back their complaints, views and requests in relation to those services. As a result, public services to the poor lack transparency, accountability and quality. The poor and the disadvantaged are particularly vulnerable as they rely completely on the state for accessing critical services such as drinking water, health and education. Our case studies in Nigeria among the Nigerian National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) and the Nigerian Telecommunications PLC (NITEL) are indicative of the fact that the public service provision is deteriorating from bad to worse. And, there is no public grievance redressal system in place. The NEPA and NITEL case studies are typical of public service provision and the lack of a redressal system in most developing countries today. e-Government solutions are introduced in public service processes such as the above with little or no participation by the recipients of services. Challenging the above approach, Transparency International is undertaking a research programme in four countries to understand the potentials of ICTs in public service delivery among the poor and the vulnerable.. The paper argues for a strong access to information component in public service provision and the need to address the inadequate state of grievance redress and feedback mechanisms on services to poor women and men by applying the ICTs.
World Development, 2013
The world's poorest pay for professional services and thus are in a "market," whether the services are provided in the public or private sectors. The associated problems of unequal information are particularly acute in undergoverned countries, where state regulation is weak. We systematically review the evidence on solutions to these problems in a variety of professions. Payments by clients are more likely to have a positive effect on quality if they are made through locally-managed organizations rather than directly to individual practitioners, particularly if those organizations have an institutionalized history of other-regarding values and incorporate client participation.
Information Access in Health and Education Service Delivery: Pilot Project Report on Macedonia
2011
Information transparency is theorized to be one of the key pillars of good governance in health and education service delivery, especially with respect to its potential to empower citizens to demand better service delivery and hold providers accountable. To unpack this claim, Global Integrity embarked on a pilot study of Macedonia in collaboration with a local partner organization by identifying and carrying out fieldwork on four key dimensions of information access in the health and education sectors that have been hypothesized to have a significant impact on citizen empowerment and participation in health and education service delivery decision-making and social monitoring in lower-income countries.
International Journal of Intelligent Information Systems, 2014
Health information system (HIS) is a system that integrates data collection, processing, reporting and use of the information necessary for improving health service effectiveness and efficiency through better management at all levels of health services. Despite the credible use of HIS for evidence based decision making, countries with the highest burden of ill health and the most in-needs for accurate and timely data have the weakest HIS in the vast majority of world's poorest countries. The main of this study was to assess the level of information utilization and identify factors affecting information use in, Ethiopian, health facilities. A cross sectional study was conducted by using structured questioners in Dire Dawa administration health facilities. All unit/department heads from all government health facilities were selected. The data was analyzed using STATA version 11. Frequency and percentages was computed to present the descriptive findings. Association between variables was computed using binary logistic regression. Over all utilization of health information was found to be 53.1%. Friendly format for reporting and managers provide regular feed back to their staff were found to be significantly associated with health information utilization, and their strength were (AOR=2.796,95% CI[1.478,5.288]) and (AOR=2.195,95%CI[1.213,3.974]) respectively. Overall HIS utilization was found to be below the national expectation level. Low utilization of HIS was found in health posts than health centers and hospitals. There was also shortage of assigned HIS personnel, separate HIS office and assigned budget for HIS in majority of units/departments.
Public Policy and Administration Research, 2020
Over the past decade, discussions on concept of good governance in public service deliveries have been unsystematic. Improved public service deliveries through the effective use of citizen engagement policies and strategies by governments and other governance actors are not explored. This study undertook empiricallygrounded research focusing on "how" public services are provided, rather than on "which" services are provided. The research attempted to use both qualitative and quantitative data, employing probability and non-probability sampling techniques to collect data at different stages. The previous evidence revealed that while ineffective service delivery are considerable challenges faced by public service, they are not insurmountable. Especially, the principles that can objectively guide the public service institutions, not only on service delivery standards, but also on public participation as well is not strictly followed by the institution under study. Citizens are not just consumers of services rendered by government, but are also critical role players with a stake in the election of governments and how such governments should run the affairs of the country.
Disseminating the Power of Information: Kenya Open Data Initiative, 2011-2012
In 2004, Permanent Secretary Joyce Nyamweya faced a daunting task when she took over Kenya's Public Service Reform and Development Secretariat. President Mwai Kibaki had charged Nyamweya with building both capacity and a results-oriented culture in ministries and other government institutions unaccustomed to providing quality public services or delivering on medium and long-term targets. With the help of Stanley Murange, special adviser to the president, Nyamweya focused on ministries that provided key public services and pushed them to apply Rapid Results, a management technique that breaks long-term plans into 100-day projects. In 2008, after Nyamweya's departure, a competent team trained in the Rapid Results methodology continued to advance its use in government institutions. By 2012, Rapid Results initiatives had helped improve services in more than 25 ministries and had boosted the government's capacity to implement projects. The technique also helped improve the performance of 175 local authorities, 45 state corporations, and three public universities. This case documents Kenya's success in applying Rapid Results across the public sector and looks at how this management technique proved to be an alternative to traditional methods of building capacity. Rushda Majeed drafted this case study based on interviews conducted in Nairobi, Kenya, in June and July 2012. Case published October 2012.