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This article participates on the following special index pages:

  • New Constitution-making process - Index of articles


  • Devolution of power - Human Rights Bulletin - Issue 73
    Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum
    May 30, 2012

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    Introduction

    Devolution of powers refers to the transfer of power from a central government to local or regional governments. Whereas centralized government systems have a unitary hub of governance enjoying a monopoly in most governance roles, devolution of power calls for decentralization of the governance and administrative roles and a cascading of such to local and community levels. Devolution of power can be further understood as the sharing of power between the various spheres of government within one state. In that sense it calls for government to cede authority, resources and responsibilities to the local communities involving not just the transfer of power but also of financial resources. The most accepted system of government in most countries the world over has been the centralized form of governance, characterized by rigidness and at most, tightly controlled administrative systems. This has resulted in an unbalanced distribution and allocation of public resources as well as suppressing the democratic voice of citizens especially at grassroots level, alienating them from decision making in government issues.

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