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<article xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:ali="http://www.niso.org/schemas/ali/1.0/" article-type="research-article" dtd-version="1.2" xml:lang="en"><front><journal-meta><journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">RUDN Journal of Public Administration</journal-id><journal-title-group><journal-title xml:lang="en">RUDN Journal of Public Administration</journal-title><trans-title-group xml:lang="ru"><trans-title>Вестник Российского университета дружбы народов. Серия:  Государственное и муниципальное управление</trans-title></trans-title-group></journal-title-group><issn publication-format="print">2312-8313</issn><issn publication-format="electronic">2411-1228</issn><publisher><publisher-name xml:lang="en">Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba (RUDN University)</publisher-name></publisher></journal-meta><article-meta><article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">40266</article-id><article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.22363/2312-8313-2024-11-2-272-285</article-id><article-id pub-id-type="edn">NOPCRW</article-id><article-categories><subj-group subj-group-type="toc-heading" xml:lang="en"><subject>International Experience of Public Administration</subject></subj-group><subj-group subj-group-type="toc-heading" xml:lang="ru"><subject>Международный опыт государственного управления</subject></subj-group><subj-group subj-group-type="article-type"><subject>Research Article</subject></subj-group></article-categories><title-group><article-title xml:lang="en">Are Zimbabwe’s Local Units of Public Management Expendable?</article-title><trans-title-group xml:lang="ru"><trans-title>Возможности оптимизации системы государственного управления Зимбабве</trans-title></trans-title-group></title-group><contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author"><contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8256-8828</contrib-id><name-alternatives><name xml:lang="en"><surname>Marumahoko</surname><given-names>Sylvester</given-names></name><name xml:lang="ru"><surname>Марумахоко</surname><given-names>Сильвестр</given-names></name></name-alternatives><bio xml:lang="en"><p>Doctorate in Public Law, Senior Researcher</p></bio><bio xml:lang="ru"><p>доктор юридических наук, старший исследователь школы аспирантуры</p></bio><email>marumahokos@gmail.com</email><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"/></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author"><contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9285-3075</contrib-id><name-alternatives><name xml:lang="en"><surname>Nhede</surname><given-names>Norman T.</given-names></name><name xml:lang="ru"><surname>Нхеде</surname><given-names>Норман</given-names></name></name-alternatives><bio xml:lang="en"><p>Doctorate in Administration, Senior Lecturer</p></bio><bio xml:lang="ru"><p>специалист в области администрирования, старший преподаватель школы публичного администрирования и управления</p></bio><email>norman.nhede@up.ac.za</email><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff2"/></contrib></contrib-group><aff-alternatives id="aff1"><aff><institution xml:lang="en">University of Johannesburg</institution></aff><aff><institution xml:lang="ru">Университет Йоханнесбурга</institution></aff></aff-alternatives><aff-alternatives id="aff2"><aff><institution xml:lang="en">University of Pretoria</institution></aff><aff><institution xml:lang="ru">Университет Претории</institution></aff></aff-alternatives><pub-date date-type="pub" iso-8601-date="2024-07-30" publication-format="electronic"><day>30</day><month>07</month><year>2024</year></pub-date><volume>11</volume><issue>2</issue><issue-title xml:lang="en">VOL 11, NO2 (2024)</issue-title><issue-title xml:lang="ru">ТОМ 11, №2 (2024)</issue-title><fpage>272</fpage><lpage>285</lpage><history><date date-type="received" iso-8601-date="2024-08-01"><day>01</day><month>08</month><year>2024</year></date></history><permissions><copyright-statement xml:lang="en">Copyright ©; 2024, Marumahoko S., Nhede N.T.</copyright-statement><copyright-statement xml:lang="ru">Copyright ©; 2024, Марумахоко С., Нхеде Н.</copyright-statement><copyright-year>2024</copyright-year><copyright-holder xml:lang="en">Marumahoko S., Nhede N.T.</copyright-holder><copyright-holder xml:lang="ru">Марумахоко С., Нхеде Н.</copyright-holder><ali:free_to_read xmlns:ali="http://www.niso.org/schemas/ali/1.0/"/><license><ali:license_ref xmlns:ali="http://www.niso.org/schemas/ali/1.0/">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0</ali:license_ref></license></permissions><self-uri xlink:href="https://journals.rudn.ru/public-administration/article/view/40266">https://journals.rudn.ru/public-administration/article/view/40266</self-uri><abstract xml:lang="en"><p>The article focusses on the question of whether Zimbabwe’s local units of public management are substitutable. The question is asked considering Zimbabwe’s present heightened national government emasculation of lawfully designated local authorities’ powers and tasks. Water supply and sanitation, solid waste management, road construction and maintenance, healthcare, motor vehicle registration and licensing are just a few of the examples of local functions the national level has allocated to national agencies it directly controls over the past few years. Given this background, the article sought to explore through structured documentary analysis acceptability of the national level’s substitution of the local units of public governance in service delivery. Crucially, the engagement revolves around the fundamental policy issue of protecting the autonomy of the local units. Among others, the article finds that the local sphere of government is rooted in rich philosophies, theories and legal protections that make it indispensable in the country’s governmental system even as it is constantly encountering brutal assault seemingly designed to bring it into the orbit of national government; tamed, subdued and emasculated.</p></abstract><trans-abstract xml:lang="ru"><p>В статье рассматривается вопрос взаимозаменяемости органов местного самоуправления в Зимбабве. Данный вопрос актуален в свете сокращения полномочий и задач местных органов власти в стране. Подача воды, управление утилизацией ТБО, строительство и обслуживание дорог, здравоохранение, регистрация моторных транспортных средств и выдача лицензий на них - всего лишь некоторые примеры функций органов местного самоуправления, переданные национальным агентствам за последние годы. Исходя из этого контекста, в статье был проведен структурированный документальный анализ для оценки приемлемости замещения местных органов управления в сфере предоставлении услуг. Ключевым аспектом обсуждения является фундаментальная политическая проблема защиты автономии местных административных единиц. Автор указывает на то, что местное самоуправление является неотъемлемой частью системы государственного управления страны, хотя оно постоянно подвергается воздействиям, направленным на приведение его полномочий в сферу ведения национального правительства.</p></trans-abstract><kwd-group xml:lang="en"><kwd>Zimbabwe</kwd><kwd>national government</kwd><kwd>local government</kwd><kwd>local functions</kwd><kwd>service delivery</kwd></kwd-group><kwd-group xml:lang="ru"><kwd>Зимбабве</kwd><kwd>национальное правительство</kwd><kwd>местное правительство</kwd><kwd>местные функции</kwd><kwd>предоставление услуг</kwd></kwd-group><funding-group/></article-meta></front><body></body><back><ref-list><ref id="B1"><label>1.</label><mixed-citation>World Bank Report 2004: Making Services Work for the Poor People. World Bank and Oxford University Press, Washington DC; 2003.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="B2"><label>2.</label><mixed-citation>Faguet J. 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