Clayton, Amanda and Noveck, Jennifer and Levi, Margaret, When Elites Meet: Decentralization, Power-Sharing, and Public Goods Provision in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone (June 24, 2015). World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 7335, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2622813

In the past decade, decentralization of governance has been promoted as a means of achieving good governance. This study, using post-conflict Sierra Leone as a case, explores power dynamics between traditional hereditary chiefs and newly elected community councillors in the provision of local public goods. The research reveals that when relationships between councillors and chiefs are competitive, it leads to better local development outcomes and higher public goods provision. On the other hand, relationships characterized by cooperation or familial ties result in poorer local development outcomes. In essence, competition among elite groups is found to be beneficial for local development, while collaboration between old and new elites hinders the provision of public goods.

Source: Culled from article's abstract