http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2007/06/06/hunter-and-hunted-nations/ EthanZ's musings on Africa, media and international development Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:45:31 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2007/06/06/hunter-and-hunted-nations/comment-page-1/#comment-1369803 Shirley Washington Thu, 25 Dec 2008 04:45:08 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=1485#comment-1369803 Keep up the great work Mr. Chinery-Hesse! I've read other things about you and you are someone to look up to. Keep up the great work Mr. Chinery-Hesse! I’ve read other things about you and you are someone to look up to.

]]> http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2007/06/06/hunter-and-hunted-nations/comment-page-1/#comment-329310 Kwasi Appiah Wed, 06 Jun 2007 15:23:24 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=1485#comment-329310 I believe Herman hit the nail right on the head. He is an innovator and a thinker, attributes that allow him to see far and wide. Unfortunately these are not qualities that make for successful bureaucratic careers. People like Herman yearn to open and exploit opportunities; bureaucrats yearn to protect their turf. One would wish sending all bureacrats to management school or having them take a Dale Carnegie course might change their mind-set. But it would not. The best solution I can think of decentralization. Multiple layers of government might be expensive in the short term, but a wiser choice in the long run. It allows for competition and prevents the concentration of power that encourages the hunter-hunted syndrome. My advise to Herman: besides working to have governments patronize local products, work too to remove the institutional bottlenecks that allow the colonial mentality to thrive. Accra should have its own elected mayor, with definite and defined powers and authority. So should Kumasi and the other cities and the region could have their own elected officials. Call it federal. The intention is to dilute the concentration of power and the bad things that flow from it and make government more responsible and open and also amenable to changing realities. I believe Herman hit the nail right on the head. He is an innovator and a thinker, attributes that allow him to see far and wide. Unfortunately these are not qualities that make for successful bureaucratic careers. People like Herman yearn to open and exploit opportunities; bureaucrats yearn to protect their turf. One would wish sending all bureacrats to management school or having them take a Dale Carnegie course might change their mind-set. But it would not. The best solution I can think of decentralization. Multiple layers of government might be expensive in the short term, but a wiser choice in the long run. It allows for competition and prevents the concentration of power that encourages the hunter-hunted syndrome. My advise to Herman: besides working to have governments patronize local products, work too to remove the institutional bottlenecks that allow the colonial mentality to thrive. Accra should have its own elected mayor, with definite and defined powers and authority. So should Kumasi and the other cities and the region could have their own elected officials. Call it federal. The intention is to dilute the concentration of power and the bad things that flow from it and make government more responsible and open and also amenable to changing realities.

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