In the shadow of good governance an ethnography of civil service reform in Africa - Anders, Gerhard (Brill, 2010)
Includes bibliographical references and index
Acknowledgements; Glossary and abbreviations; Map of Malawi; 1 Introduction: Unpacking Good Governance; 2 Historical Background; 3 Constructing Country Ownership; 4 The Implementation Process; 5 Eroding Salaries and Doing Business; 6 "Distance Saves me"; 7 The Democratisation of Appropriation; 8 Conclusions: the State in Society; References; Index
"In the Shadow of Good Governance" traces the implementation of the good governance agenda in Malawi from the loan documents signed by the representatives of the government and the Bretton Woods institutions to the individual experiences of civil servants who responded in unforeseen ways to the reform measures. Ethnographic evidence gathered in government offices, neighbourhoods and the private homes of civil servants living in Malawia's urban and peri-urban areas undermines the common perception of a disconnect between state institutions and society in Africa