Work

Citizen perceptions of local government responsiveness in sub-Saharan Africa

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This article focuses on political relationships between citizens and local government in sub-Saharan Africa, with special attention to leadership responsiveness. Cross-national survey data provide popular insights into performance. Citizens regard local councils as weak institutions with limited functions (rarely performed well) and elected councilors as largely unresponsive. Although civic activism is a corrective, people have yet to make use of tax payment as a device to hold councilors accountable. In endeavoring to improve client satisfaction, policy actors should attend as much to the procedural dimensions of local government performance as to the substance of service delivery.

Source: Human Science Research Council SA

DOI: 10.14749/32383428

Author: Human Sciences Research Council

Language: English

Topic: African Studies and Ethnography

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: green

Funder: Human Sciences Research Council

OpenAlex ID: W7162212916

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