Democracy and Decentralisation in South Asia and West Africa ... - 9780521636476

Democracy and Decentralisation in South Asia and West AfricaParticipation, Accountability and Performance\nAuthor(s): Richard C. Crook, James Manor\nFormat: Paperback\nPublisher: Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom\nImprint: Cambridge University Press\nISBN-13: 9780521636476, 978-0521636476\nSynopsis\nThis book is an in-depth empirical study of four Asian and African attempts to create democratic, decentralised local governments in the late 1980s and 1990s. The case studies of Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Karnataka (India) and Bangladesh focus upon the enhancement of participation; accountability between people, politicians and bureaucrats; and, most importantly, on whether governmental performance actually improved in comparison with previous forms of administration. The book is systematically comparative, and based upon extensive popular surveys and local field work. It makes an important contribution to current debates in the development literature on whether 'good governance' and.