Path dependence in decentralised recruitment and selection in local government authorities in Tanzania

Anord Magessa; Wilfred  Lameck

doi:10.51867/asarev.3.1.25

Auteurs-es

Anord Magessa Mzumbe university Auteur-e
Wilfred Lameck Mzumbe university Auteur-e https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4363-6175

DOI :

https://doi.org/10.51867/asarev.3.1.25

Mots-clés :

Institutional reform, Decentralized recruitment and selection, Path dependence, Chamwino District and Dodoma City Councils

Résumé

In the past two decades, Tanzania government has adopted decentralization reforms as a tool to improve the performance of recruitment and selection in Tanzania’s local government. Invariably, the reforms have failed to achieve the envisaged goal. Various studies have documented different reasons which attributes to this shortfall such as the low capacity of local government, corruption and nepotism in recruitment and selection. However, relatively little attention has been paid to the historical background of centralized regime in recruitment and selection. This study employed path dependency theory to investigate the shortfall of decentralized recruitment and selection reform in Tanzania. To this end, the article adopted a qualitative approach with comparative case study design. To this end, Chamwino District Council and Dodoma City council were selected for analysis. A purposeful sample of 50 respondents was selected, and the sample size was determined by the level of saturation. The actual research began with the analysis of various documents related with recruitment policy, recruitment authorities, quarterly and annual meetings of recruitment and selection. This was followed with 40 interviews and four focus group discussion with respondents from the two cases. Thematic approach was adopted for data analysis and the findings shows that, there is a strong link between the change of policy and regulations of recruitment and selection and the actual performance in the process and outcome of recruitment and selection especially, the legal architectures, resource flows, and entrenched administrative routines which still preserve central government oversight and control of recruitment and selection in local government authorities. Reliance on central government recruitment for local government staff should be checked and the institutions and capacity of local government in recruitment should be developed. This includes overhauling the obsolete legal framework which constrains the transformative potential for decentralized recruitment.

Biographie de l'auteur-e

Wilfred Lameck, Mzumbe university

Prof. Wilfred Uronu Lameck,
School of Public Administration and Management, Mzumbe University, Tanzania. Associate Editor, Public Integrity, Taylor and Francis, Associate Editor, Journal of Policy and Leadership, Editor, Uongozi Journal, Mzumbe University, Member, Tanzania Urbanization Laboratory, ESRF.

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