“Does democracy enhance the process of development in Mozambique? This report attempts to answer this question through analysing different types of data. Specifically, it examines how democratic institutions have increased accountability and efficiency, and created room for social development changes, including service delivery (basic services, education, and health and welfare) and improved economic conditions for ordinary citizens. The analysis reveals the following findings:
Democratic institutions are not supplying what the citizens want with regard to socio-economic benefits. The economy is growing but this is not reflected in the lives of the majority of Mozambican citizens.
Despite the positive shifts in the expansion of education and health systems, the quality of these services remains very poor. Despite the existence of many forms of accountability relationships (for example
formal and informal accountabilities, social, political and electoral accountabilities) between different public institutions, these are weak. Different factors contribute to these weaknesses and the most important are: a) few civil society organisations are involved in formal and informal accountability mechanisms b) most of the accountability mechanisms have been created recently and are merely consultative by nature c) lack of democratic culture among the elected representatives
d) politicisation of the local consultative forums e) a top-down centralist model of governance.”
