Beyond the Façade. A study of the Zambian health bureaucracy in its socio-political environment

This seminar will present PhD research into the Zambian health sector. A large body of literature has problematized the African state and by association the undertaking of development cooperation. A notable contribution to this debate can be classified as the neo-patrimonial paradigm. While these discussions have often taken a merely theoretical perspective or have compared various regimes, this research will study empirically a specific sector of the bureaucracy in a specific country. It will move beyond an evaluation of policies and formal institutions but also take into account the social and political context in which professionals and politicians, donors and practitioners operate. In doing so, issues that have been taboo for donor and recipient governments alike, such as corruption or patronage, will not be avoided but neither will unfulfilled policy ambitions be simply put down to 'bad governance'. Instead, this research will sketch a contemporary history of a specific sector of public-service delivery in order to enhance our understanding of the reality of the African state. The aim of this seminar is to present research objectives, hypotheses and preliminary findings and invite feedback and suggestions for the continuation of this PhD programme.