01710pab a2200145 454500008004000000100001900040245005400059260000900113300001400122362001000136520132300146650003201469650002101501773004201522180718b2003   xxu||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d  aConyers, Diana  aDecentralisation in Zimbabwe: a local perspective  c2003  ap.115-24.  a1 Feb  aAlthough decentralisation has been on the Government of Zimbabwe's agenda since the early 1980s and there have been several structural reforms, little effective power has been decentralised.  This article describes Zimbabwe's various decentralisation efforts and effects including fiscal decentralisation, sectoral decentralisation, local political and institutional structures and local economic development and poverty reduction, and analyses their impact in Binga District, which is one of the poorest parts of the country.  A number of conclusions are drawn from this experience.  Firstly, decentralisation is part of a wider process of national political and economic change and cannot be planned independently; moreover, decentralisation for the `wrong' reasons can be worse than no decentralisation at all and, if the political environment is not `right', the problems of decentralisation can be exacerbated by external funding agencies.  secondly, decentralisation must be accompanied by capacity building, and the capacity of local institutions depends to a significant extent on the individuals involved.  Thirdly, decentralisation must be seen as a `learning process'; consequently, despite the relatively little effective decentralisation to date, those involved have learnt valuable lessons. - Reproduced.  aDecentralization - Zimbabwe  aDecentralization  aPublic Administration and Development