Clayton, Amanda, Jennifer Noveck, and Margaret Levi. "When Elites Meet: Decentralization, Power-Sharing, And Public Goods Provision in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone." World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 7335(2015).

Clayton, Noveck and Levi argue that decentralization is key for development and good governance. However, the process of decentralization can cause tension as new elites attempt to take up governing spaces that have long been occupied by traditional patrons. This is because decentralization creates new avenues to accumulate political power and promote development. It empowers new local authorities in the area of traditional governance. The study examined how decentralization process shapes power relations among different sets of local actors by exploring power-sharing dynamics between traditional hereditary chiefs and newly elected community councilors in post-colonial Sierra Leone. The study also examines how this dynamic affects the provision of local public goods. These actors, comprising newly elected elites have to work with the preexisting systems of local governance leading to potential conflicts between new and traditional elites. The authors conclude that this conflict between the new and old elites can also be viewed as inter-elite competition that could result in improvements of local development outcomes whereas inter-elite collusion can be detrimental for development as it can affect the provision of local public goods.

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