Power and Policy Slippage in Tanzania – Discussing National Ownership of Development GÖRAN HYDÉN AND MAX MMUYA This study of mainland Tanzania shows that power is cen- tralised and significantly influenced by development part- ners. Power is also dispersed among patronage-oriented individuals who fail to coordinate or act in a strategic manner in order to realise the common objectives stated in strategic development documents and declarations. The study proposes how analysis and monitoring of power could be conducted in more systematic ways. It offers a set of proposals for local actors and development partners that would help bring a more equal character to their re- lationships. There are ways in which civil society and state institutions could enter into a competitive and constructive relationship under the auspices of national ownership of the development process. The conclusion discusses how power analyses can be used by development partners and partner institutions alike. Sidastudies no. 21 omslag_Sida Studies 21.indd 1 2008-10-29 09:10:53 Previous issues in the Sida Studies series: No 1 Moldova’s Transition to Destitution. Per Ronnås and Nina Orlova. Art. no. Sida983en No 2 Beneficiary, Consumer, Citizen: Perspectives on Participation for Poverty Reduction. Andrea Cornwall. Art. no. Sida982en No 3 Discussing Women’s Empowerment – Theory and Practice. Art. no. Sida984en No 4 On Democracy’s Sustainability – Transition in Guinea-Bissau. Lars Rudebeck. Art. no. Sida985en No 5 The Least Developed Countries and World Trade. Stefan de Vylder, Gunnel Axelsson Nycander and Marianne Laanatza. Art. no. Sida986en Swedish version: De minst utvecklade länderna och världshandeln. Art. nr. Sida986sv No 6 Programme Support and Public Finance Management – A New Role for Bilateral Donors in Poverty Strategy Work. Ulrika Brobäck and Stefan Sjölander. Art. no. Sida987en No 7 One Step Further – Responses to HIV/AIDS. Art. no. Sida1693en No 8 International Labour Migrants: Unsung heroes of globalisation. Bhargavi Ramamurthy. Art. no. Sida2899en No 9 Migranter på den internationella arbetsmarknaden: Globaliseringens förbisedda hjältar. Bhargavi Ramamurthy. Art. no. Sida2899sv No 10 The Culture of Power in Contemporary Ethiopian Political Life. Sarah Vaughan and Kjetil Tronvoll. Art. no. Sida3358en No 11 Lifelong Learning in the South: Critical Issues and Opportunities for Adult Education. Rosa María Torres. Art. no. Sida4303en No 12 Sounds of Change – Social and Political Features of Music in Africa. Editor Stig-Magnus Thorsén. Art. no. Sida4308en No 13 Transforming Conflicts and Building Peace – Experience and Ideas of Swedish CSO:s. Anna Åkerlund. Art. no. Sida4706en No 14 Wealth of the Poor – Eliminating Poverty through Market and Private Sector Development. Claes Lindahl. Art. no. Sida4710en No 15 The Employment Nexus Between Growth and Poverty. An Asian Perspective. S.R. Osmani. Art. no. Sida4773en No 16 Of Global Concern. Rural Livelihood Dynamics and Natural Resource Governance. Editors: Kjell Havnevik, Tekeste Negash and Atakilte Beyene. Art. no. Sida26102en No 17 Illusions and Disillusions with Pro-Poor Growth – Poverty Reduction Strategies in Bolivia, Honduras and Nicaragua. Rob Vos and Maritza Cabezas. Art. no. Sida28731en No 18 The impact of HIV/AIDS on livelihoods, poverty and the economy of Malawi Lisa Arrehag, Sefan deVylder, Dick Durevall and Mirja Sjöblom. Art. no. Sida31461en No 19 The Least Developed Countries and World Trade – Second Edition. Stefan de Vylder with contributions from Gunnel Axelsson Nycander and Marianne Laanatza. Art. no. SIDA34047en No 20 Energy sector reform: strategies for growth, equity and sustainability. Per Ljung. Art. no. SIDA38233en oomslag_Sidamslag_Sida SStudiestudies 221.indd1.indd 2 22008-11-20008-11-20 111:37:511:37:51 Power and Policy Slippage in Tanzania – Discussing National Ownership of Development iinlaga_Sidanlaga_Sida SStudiestudies 221.indd1.indd 1 22008-11-25008-11-25 008:48:258:48:25 Power and Policy Slippage in Tanzania – Discussing National Ownership of Development – Sida Studies No. 21 Sida Studies can be ordered by visiting Sida’s website: www.sida.se Sida Studies can also be ordered from Sida's Publication Service: E-mail: [email protected] Tel: +46 8 698 50 00 The Sida Studies-series offers a selection of the reports and studies recently commissioned by different departments at Sida. The selection is made to reflect issues of relevance to Sida’s policies and practices, but each report expresses the views and findings of its writer(s). Editor: A. Sisask Series Editor: A. Sisask Copyright: Sida Graphic Design: Johan Nilsson/Kombinera Layout: Edita Communication Cover Photo: Thomas Raupach/Phoenix Printed by Edita Communication, 2008 ISSN 1404-9562 ISBN 978-91-586-8113-2 Art. nr. sida046879en iinlaga_Sidanlaga_Sida SStudiestudies 221.indd1.indd 2 22008-11-25008-11-25 008:48:268:48:26 Power and Policy Slippage in Tanzania – Discussing National Ownership of Development GÖRAN HYDÉN AND MAX MMUYA Sidastudies iinlaga_Sidanlaga_Sida SStudiestudies 221.indd1.indd 3 22008-11-25008-11-25 008:48:268:48:26 4 FOREWORD Foreword by Sida The elaboration of a new Cooperation Strategy for Swedish Develop- ment Cooperation with Tanzania in 2005, and the implementation of that strategy in its first years, generated these power studies carried out between 2005 and 2007. Generally power analysis can bring the social and political realities in which growth and poverty reduction policies are enacted and implement- ed into focus, and throw light on a number of issues that are not included if the study is of formal institutions only. Power analysis should, however, also make us pay increased attention to how we, as donors, are a part of the power game in Tanzania. As Göran Hydén concludes in his report: “A power analysis would serve as the mirror in which donors could see their own strengths and weaknesses, as well as those that hamper partner institutions. It should serve as a method of self-reflection as much as a critical examination of specific partner countries and their development policy performance.” This purpose was the primary reason for the Embassy of Sweden in Dar Es Salaam choosing the method and approach used in the power studies presented in this volume. One important implication arising from the power analysis concerning the outline of the cooperation strategy was recognition of the importance of strengthening national ownership and government leadership of the de- velopment process. The move to General Budget Support for Poverty Re- duction as the main channel of oda to the Tanzanian state is the method that we as donors use to attempt to change and to enable stronger govern- ment ownership in the intervention logic of the new cooperation strategy. Although Tanzania is formally a multiparty democracy, the ruling ccm party dominates society so much that some observers speak of a de facto one-party state. This total dominance of one party blurs the delimitations between party and state, and entails unclear separation of powers be- tween the executive, legislative and judiciary branches of government. Key focus areas in the Cooperation Strategy are thus openness and trans- parency, accountability, power sharing and the rule of law. Even if social movements and interest groups have grown in strength, they are still weak and cannot provide sufficient counterbalances to execu- tive/state power. Stronger constitutional rules, a pluralistic and independ- ent media and a vigorous civil society, if strengthened, could serve to counteract the Executive’s controlling mode of power and provide checks iinlaga_Sidanlaga_Sida SStudiestudies 221.indd1.indd 4 22008-11-25008-11-25 008:48:268:48:26 FOREWORD 5 and balances to executive power as well as promote democratic political culture and political participation and equality. One important measure was also to develop and adopt guidelines for the Embassy strategic sup- port to civil society in Tanzania. With these points of departure we wished to embark on an analysis of power in Tanzania. Firstly, because the experience of development cooperation in the previ- ous period led us to the conclusion that, whereas reform of economic insti- tutions is progressing and donor relations are improving, reform of Tanza- nia’s political system and institutions has been slow over the last decade. Secondly, because lack of implementation of policy reform processes is very common and often explained merely by “lack of political will”. This applied specially to two reform areas we consider crucial for the rel- evance and effectiveness of poverty reduction in Tanzania: the decen- tralization of authority to district level in order to make services work for the poor, and improved access to justice enabling the legal empowerment of the poor. Thirdly, because the shift in funding modalities from project funding to programme based approaches, including budget support, entails a new and different set of challenges both to donors and the Government. It also means – using the terminology of Max Mmuya – that we as donors change the grid of power within the state by making the Ministry of Finance the main “docking site” of development assistance. The new aid environment entails the necessity to strengthen support to accountability measures combined with an effort to monitor power re- lations in their broader societal context and conduct a dialogue based on power monitoring in order to complement traditional political/govern- ance reporting for follow up on democratic governance.