| Abstract | A politically driven and ambitious decentralization program implemented by the authorities  since the late 1990s has had mixed results in terms of enhancing service delivery. Paradoxically,  concerns with the results of service delivery, partially driven by donors’ requirements, have  resulted in a deconcentrated system relying on conditional grants and unfunded mandates. This  has reduced the incentives, responsibility, and ownership for local authorities to improve service  delivery. Crucially, for functions where the local authorities have had full responsibility, better  service quality has resulted than in those areas in which there are overlapping responsibilities  between the center and the local authorities |