Financing city services in Zimbabwe

The debate on whether or not city governments in Zimbabwe enjoy adequate fiscal autonomy has been a hotly contested issue since independence but especially in 2012 with the constitutionalisation of local government. The debate has extended to questions of whether city governments enjoy adequate fiscal powers to produce sustainable services. The book analyses key issues at the centre of the financing of city services, namely, revenue, expenditure, borrowing and intergovernmental financial transfers. The Chapters in the book are organised as follows: Chapter Two discusses the nature and meaning of fiscal decentralisation.Chapter Three discusses the status of revenue, expenditure, borrowing and intergovernmental financial transfers from a historical perspective. Chapter Four assesses the fiscal autonomy enjoyed by the city governments. Chapter Five summarises major findings and gives recommendations. The book is an invaluable contribution to literature on financing of city services and relevant for scholars and practitioners in the fields of urban planning and development, local government, decentralisation and federalism. The lessons it provides resonate beyond its case study.

Autorentext

Sylvester Marumahoko is a researcher with the Civil Society Prison Initiative, Cape Town, South Africa. He is also a registered doctoral candidate with the Law Faculty of the University of the Western Cape. His current research interests and publications are in the areas of constitutional law, local government and correctional services.