Decentralization Policies in Africa’s State: Comment on the Practices

Decentralization is a political and administrative system. It gives governmental entities a sort of autonomy with more power and resources. The power distribution system is done according to legal and administrative arrangements. Decentralization is also used by bigger private companies to facilitate their operational works.

In some African countries such as Ethiopia, Sudan and Nigeria, decentralization has been adopted as a main part of the political and administrative reform policies with the aim to tackle the issues of national integration and development. Although there has been some success with this policy, there is also need to evaluate the process. The aim of the proposed assessments is to secure the best application of this system which is described as a sensitive approach by some elite members.

There are several positive impacts of the decentralization application in Africa such as absorbing the local ambitions in participating in the governance system. This element is highly important in the context of national unity. The competition between the local decentralized entities has accelerated the development and the delivery of services in education, health and infrastructure.

The criticism of decentralization focuses on its impact on weakening the common sense and national affiliation among the countries populations. This could result in secession of some parts of the countries especially the economically important and richest areas. Another criticism is to the weak administrative capacities of the decentralized units, compared to the national federal authorities in the capital.

The issue of the decentralization will remain one of the most crucial elements in the political arena in Africa. An evaluation process is important but it should be done according to a clear vision and a constitutional framework. The stability of the legal structure is important for the life of any state.  

       

       

What is behind the crime

Crime like the rest of human behaviors can be subject to studies, justifications and predictions. The increase of crimes and level of violence in certain areas and within certain age groups, shared ethnical and cultural backgrounds is subject of much research. There are different reasons for the increase of the crimes and violence in the current world. Some of these reasons are related to the economical and socio-cultural contexts and some related to the legislation and crime combating policies and tools.

The increasing demands in urban life are important factor which should be considered in the analysis of crime. The gap between the increase of needs and income flow has negative results in individuals’ moods and behaviors. These factors can be addressed through comprehensive income increase and public services provision policies.

Unemployment is another important factor in the increase of crime. Growing numbers of young people are unemployed and consequently they lack sufficient income and social satisfaction. This may lead to an increase in violence as it has been illustrated in different views. This problem can be solved via different interventions which include education and training policies. Adopting statistical, result-based policies in dealing with unemployment, supporting income generating creative initiatives and adopting a multidisciplinary approach for creating jobs and expanding the labor opportunities are highly important steps to solve the unemployment problem. Several young people who had violent tendencies have changed their behaviors after gaining stable work opportunities and creating their own personal family life. There is also need to consolidate the linkages between educational-training policies with the growing needs of the labor markets in order to increase the opportunities of youth employment.

Education is another important issue for all aspects of life and poor education can lead to an increase in crime. There is continuous need for developing education to meet the requirement of the labor market and economical and social life. The promotion of tolerance, problem-solving and critical thinking are essential factors to make tolerant communities and this starts from the education system. TV programs, media and movies are also public educational tools that affect the behavior of people. Some media services providers which only want profits focus on violent actions. These programs should be directed through the legislation to provide less violence and more dialogue promoting products. The spread of a tolerance culture amongst people in communities and religious entities is very important.

The aforementioned polices focus on crime prevention aspects. These policies should be adopted in parallel with maintaining the efficient means in dealing with crime after it occurs. There should be strong punishment and reform policies in place. Investigation and prosecution tools should be strong and efficient in order to enable the criminal justice system to detect and punish all crime offenders.