The politics of implementation: The role of traditional authorities in delivering social policies to poor people in Kenya

Abstract

The article contributes to understanding the political economy of implementation of social protection programmes at local level. Current debates are dominated by technocratic arguments, emphasizing the lack of financial resources, technology or skills as major barriers for effective implementation. Describing how chiefs, assistant-chiefs and community elders are routinely at the centre stage of core implementation processes, including targeting, enrolment, delivery, monitoring, awareness and information, data collection or grievance and redress, this study on Kenya argues for the need to look more closely into the local political economy as an important mediating arena for implementing social policies. Implementation is heavily contingent upon the local social, political and institutional context that influences and shapes its outcomes. These processes are ambivalent involving multiple forms of interactions between ‘formal’ and ‘informal’ institutional structures, which may support initial policy objectives or induce policy outcomes substantially diverging from intended policy objectives.

The Poverty Reduction Effect of Social Protection: The Pros and Cons of a Multidisciplinary Approach

“…The findings discussed extensively in Rohregger et al (2021) showed that traditional authorities often play an important complementary role, where they take over functions of effective but inadequate formal institutions. They can also substitute or compete with ineffective formal institutions, for example, in the case of targeting scheme or bribery.…”

“…Institutional accountability towards building voice and empowerment of vulnerable populations and emerging notions of social equity and sustainability were discussed in passing. The more in-depth analysis on regulatory frameworks and policy instruments, in the case of Kenya, was done in Bender et al (2021) and Rohregger et al (2021).…”

“…This section builds forth on our in-depth proceeding publications, notably:Pouw et al (2017),Pouw et al (2020),Bender et al (2021) andRohregger et al (2021).…”