Abstract
The partial organization of citizens into Municipal Development Forums (MDFs) was not only built on the criterion of membership. This chapter demonstrates that the organisation also included the means of participation: how participation could be done in the MDFs was closely encircled by rules which were set out in the MDF charter and implicit rules, or routines, that were enacted in everyday practices of interaction between local bureaucrats and the forums.
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Notes
- 1.
The formal communication mentioned in this paragraph is but the selection of documents I was able to gather copies of in my field research. The MDFs did, however, not keep complete records. It is therefore conceivable that the extent of formal communication was much larger than can be presented here.
- 2.
The USMID coordinator was not an administrative position but an additional responsibility taken on by one of the existing bureaucrats in the municipality, e.g. the physical planner. Since the role was taken on by different municipal bureaucrats in the different municipalities taking part in USMID, I do not identify which municipal bureaucrat took on the role of USMID coordinator in A-Town, B-Ville and C-City for purposes of anonymity.
- 3.
IGG stands for Inspector General of Government. The IGG’s mandate is to fight corruption in Uganda and promote the adherence to the rule of law. S/he monitors government activities and reports to the parliament twice per year. “The IGG report” refers to a report each municipality has to prepare biannually to report on alleged corruption cases and describe the actions it has taken to counter corruption. As part of the conditionalities for receiving USMID funds, this report has to be presented to and discussed at an MDF meeting.
- 4.
The National Urban Policy was approved in June 2017, thence shortly after my field research ended. The policy mentions the establishment and roll-out of forums across all urban hierarchies as a strategy to improve urban administration and management.Â
- 5.
This is not to say that neopatrimonial elements are not present in the Ugandan administration, too, as was discussed in Section 1.4.2 (Uganda’s Politico-administrative System over Time).
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Schindler, E.M. (2021). Organising Civil Society by Setting Rules. In: Structuring People. Sozialwissenschaftliche Zugänge zu Afrika. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-35903-4_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-35903-4_6
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