Impact of Multiparty Politics on Local Government in Uganda

This study traces the development of political parties and local governments in Uganda. It then examines how multiparty politics has resulted in changes that have impacted decision making at the local government level.Following years of civil strife, Uganda emerged as a “movement only” state under the National Resistance Movement led by Yoweri Museveni. One of the major innovations of this new government was to implement a strategy of administrative and fiscal decentralization. This experiment was long hailed as an African success story, but the reemergence of multiparty politics in 2006 is having a major impact on local governance. This study traces the development of political parties and local governments in Uganda. It then examines how multiparty politics has resulted in changes that have impacted decision making at the local government level. The study concludes that multiparty politics is leading to fiscal insolvency of local governments, the creation of unviable new district governments, and administrative recentralization

Oil and Governance in Uganda

Many critical governance issues were created with the discovery of major oil deposits in Uganda. Because developing countries like Uganda lack strong institutional foundations, it is widely assumed that riches flowing from oil will result in huge sums of money being diverted to politicians while the country ends up worse off in the long run. Uganda certainly faces this “natural resource curse,” but the potential for corruption is only one of many governance issues arising from the potential of oil riches. The government needs to work effectively with foreign oil companies and neighboring countries to recover and transport the oil. It must also establish institutions and procedures to manage its new oil economy. Moreover, questions must be answered regarding ownership the oil producing lands and how the fragile environment of the country can be protected

The Impact of Public and Private Sector Transparency on Foreign Direct Investment in Developing Countries

Purpose– This paper aims to examine the role of public and private transparency in attracting inward foreign direct investment (FDI) flows to developing countries. Design/methodology/approach– The study tests the hypothesis that developing countries with low levels of public and private sector transparency attract lower levels of FDI inflows. It also tests the hypotheses that private sector transparency in developing countries has a greater impact on inward FDI than public sector transparency. A cross‐sectional model was tested for 58 developing countries (using regression analysis) over the 2003‐2006 period. Findings– The empirical analysis shows that: private sector transparency has a significant and positive effect on inward FDI flows to developing countries; public sector transparency has a positive and significant effect on FDI inflows; and private sector transparency has a greater influence on FDI inflows to developing countries than public sector transparency. Originality/value– This is the first study to examine the impact of different forms of transparency on FDI. Existing studies tend to examine the subject in a separate fashion without considering their joint effect on foreign investment inflows

Task and Relationship Orientations of Ugandans and Americans

Uganda is emerging as a significant political and economic force on the African continent, but this landlocked nation remains largely a mystery within the international community. The study seeks to build a better understanding of Uganda by comparing the task and relationship orientations of Ugandans and Americans. The Style Questionnaire was used to gather responses from 139 Ugandan and 484 American workers. The findings show that Ugandan workers are not only more relationship oriented than Americans, but their task orientation scores are also higher. The findings also show that Ugandan women are more task oriented than Ugandan men. Awareness of these differences will help international managers assigned to Uganda as well as Ugandan managers adjust their behavior to provide more effective organizational leadership

Local Government Performance Assessment in Uganda

The Uganda government and its development partners have long been concerned that local governments in that country lacked adequate structural and financial resources to combat poverty effectively. In response to this challenge, assessment programs were implemented with the intent of helping local governments improve in the performance of their capital development activities. This study compares the recently concluded Local Government Development Program II with its successor, the Local Government Management Service Delivery Program. At the national level, a number of the local governments were identified that face sanctions due to their underperformance. Another comparison is then made of lower level government performance in the Mukono District. Recommendations are made for improving the assessment program in light of recent developments in the country

Decentralization and Conflict in Uganda: Governance Adrift.

This study examines the challenges that threaten one of Africa’s most ambitious experiments in political, administrative and fiscal decentralization.This study examines the challenges that threaten one of Africa’s most ambitious experiments in political, administrative and fiscal decentralization. Based on extensive interviews with local government leaders throughout Uganda, the research uncovered a complex interplay of conflicts that impact decision-making effectiveness. The sources of these conflicts center around (a) the impact of national politics on local government as the country approaches the 2011 election, (b) the inability to meet rising citizen demand for services as the tax base of local governments continues to erode, (c) the corrosive impact of social conflicts stemming mostly from poverty and illiteracy complicated by tribal and ethnic differences, and (d) the challenges of developing honest and effective leadership in local government. Can Uganda unravel this web of conflicts to bring meaningful governance to this young nation? Indeed, many countries within the developing world are watching this experiment with a great deal of interest