Cameroon - The Path to Fiscal Decentralization : Opportunities and Challenges
Decentralization in Cameroon is an instrument to meet multiple objectives. This report takes stock of Cameroon s experience with decentralization. It examines whether the design has been coherently formulated and preconditions for decentralization...
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| Format: | Policy Note |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
Washington, DC
2012
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2012/09/16926649/cameroon-path-fiscal-decentralization-opportunities-challenges http://hdl.handle.net/10986/11875 |
| Summary: | Decentralization in Cameroon is an
instrument to meet multiple objectives. This report takes
stock of Cameroon s experience with decentralization. It
examines whether the design has been coherently formulated
and preconditions for decentralization have been put in
place. It also suggests short to medium-term proposals to
make the process work better, within the constraints of
significant data limitations. The design of the
decentralization process in Cameroon reflects the
normative approaches to decentralization-assuming benign
officials and policy makers, and stipulating a normative
allocation of responsibilities. In reality, a political
economy story is at play, as suggested by developments in
the positive literature that drop the assumption of
disinterested officials. The legal framework relating to
decentralization is overlapping, cumbersome and
contradictory, and in many respects open to different
interpretations. The main difficulty is that decentralized
functions are ill-defined and not distinct from
deconcentrated operations of the central government. This
report examines the building blocks of the decentralization
framework-starting in chapter one with a description of the
status quo and the methods to be used. In chapter two
discuss the unclear legal framework in Cameroon. The fuzzy
spending responsibilities and lack of effective strategy to
address the extent and scope of decentralization are
examined in chapter three. The weaknesses in information
flows and public financial management (PFM) issues,
including in the budgeting, treasury and debt management
systems are addressed in chapter four. Examine in chapter
five the absence of effective own-source revenues that
limits the accountability of local governments. This
accentuates a general absence of hard budget constraints at
the sub national level. In chapter six review some options
for redesigning the transfer system, and some institutional
arrangements. Finally, in chapter seven address the special
issues related to forestry. |
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