| dc.description.abstract | A B S T R A C T
Increasing participation in decision-making processes by service users is one of
the objectives of decentralisation reforms in Tanzania. The argument is that
decentralisation enhances participation by all sections of the community, and
by women in particular, and results in decisions that better reflect local needs.
This paper examines the impact of decentralisation reforms on service users’
participation for delivery of water and health services in rural Tanzania, using a
gender perspective and principal-agent theory. The paper investigates how
decentralisation has fostered spaces for participation and how men and women
use these spaces, and identifies factors that constrain or encourage women’s
participation. It shows that decentralisation reforms have created spaces for
service users’ participation at the local level. Participation in these spaces, | en_US |
