<p>Provincial governors constituted an important part of the decentralization package unveiled in Zimbabwe in 1984 and 1985. The President appoints provincial governors among other duties, to coordinate development planning and implementation at the provincial level. This paper seeks to examine the appointment and role of a provincial governor and in that way establish the extent to which such appointment and role hinder or enhance representative and participatory democracy, accountability, devolution and empowerment, as ideals of decentralization. This contribution examines provincial governance in Zimbabwe as part of the local government system.</p>

<p>Provincial governors constituted an important part of the decentralization package unveiled in Zimbabwe in 1984 and 1985. The President appoints provincial governors among other duties, to coordinate development planning and implementation at the provincial level. This paper seeks to examine the appointment and role of a provincial governor and in that way establish the extent to which such appointment and role hinder or enhance representative and participatory democracy, accountability, devolution and empowerment, as ideals of decentralization. This contribution examines provincial governance in Zimbabwe as part of the local government system.</p>

Magister Philosophiae - MPhil / Provincial governors constituted an important part of the decentralization package unveiled in Zimbabwe in 1984 and 1985. The President appoints provincial governors among other duties, to coordinate development planning and implementation at the provincial level. This paper seeks to examine the appointment and role of a provincial governor and in that way establish the extent to which such appointment and role hinder or enhance representative and participatory democracy, accountability, devolution and empowerment, as ideals of decentralization. This contribution examines provincial governance in Zimbabwe as part of the local government system. / South Africa

Pendant plus de vingt ans (1543-1565), Jean de Bretagne, duc d’Étampes est à la tête de la Bretagne en tant que gouverneur de la province. Héritier des comtes de Penthièvre, eux mêmes issus des ducs de Bretagne, il devient un fidèle serviteur des Valois à qui il doit tous ses honneurs. Des sources renouvelées, tant épistolaires qu’administratives, permettent de cerner les contours du métier de gouverneur, dans une province en voie d’intégration au royaume de France, entre le règne de François Ier et les premières guerres de Religion. Si le rôle de défense armée en zone frontalière, est central, il est loin d’être le seul. Au quotidien, le gouverneur de Bretagne est impliqué dans des domaines très variés. Surtout, il est facteur d’union entre la province et le souverain-suzerain. Relais mais aussi intercesseur, le gouverneur est assurément un acteur politique de premier ordre dans une province dont il est le premier gentilhomme. Analyser ses réseaux, cerner son influence, mesurer son pouvoir permet de mieux appréhender le rôle d’un type de serviteur du roi souvent mal compris, voire mal jugé, par l’historiographie. / For more than twenty years (1543-1565), Jean de Bretagne, duke of Étampes, governs Brittany as King’s governor and lieutenant. Heir of the Counts of Penthièvre, he became a faithful servant of the Valois to whom he owed each one of his honors. Some renewed sources, both epistolary and administrative, make it possible to seize the profession ofprovincial governor in the process of integration to the kingdom of France, between the reign of Francis I and the first wars of Religion. If the armed defense role of a reputed border province is central, the governor deals with many other problems on a daily basis. Above all else, he is supposed to be the link between the province and the king. Broker but also intercessor, the governor is undoubtedly a preeminent political actor in the province. First gentleman of the province, all his networks, influences and powers must be analyzed as a whole to better understand the daily life of a type of royal servant often misjudged and misunderstood by historiography.

La Thaïlande est un État unitaire et depuis 1892 son administration déconcentrée est assurée par la présence de gouverneurs provinciaux. Or, malgré de nombreuses attributions législatives, l'exercice des fonctions du chef de la province se heurte à plusieurs obstacles dans la pratique. A titre d'exemple, l'unité de commandement du gouverneur provincial était souvent contestée, les pouvoirs qui lui ont été délégués par les autorités centrales étaient inappropriés tant à sa fonction qu'à ses responsabilités. Ceci était une source de lenteur de l'administration provinciale dans son ensemble. Puis, comme la province ne pouvait pas bénéficier directement du budget provenant de l'État car la demande de budget provincial était effectuée au nom de la Direction, les projets réalisés sur place ne convenaient donc pas aux besoins des habitants locaux. Enfin, l'absence de coopération entre les fonctionnaires des différents organes dans la province contribuait alors aux chevauchements des travaux de ces organes et causait par la suite une perte de temps et d'argent pour l'État. Ainsi, lors de la réforme en 2001, le gouvernement de l'époque a introduit au niveau provincial le concept du gouverneur « CEO » et la méthode de la gestion d'intégration (MGI). Le chef de la province endosse alors le rôle du Chief Executive Officer (CEO), de ce fait ses pouvoirs ont été renforcés afin qu'il puisse prendre une décision rapide et efficace en réponse aux problèmes survenus dans sa province à l'instar des CEO dans leurs entreprises. Quant à la province, elle applique la MGI qui est une nouvelle façon de travailler visant à rendre de meilleurs services rendus à la population. / Thailand is a unitary state and since 1892 its deconcentrated administration is ensured by the presence of provincial governors. However, despite numerous attributions recognized by the laws, the provincial governor faces several obstacles in practice. For example, his Unity of Command was often challenged, the powers delegated to him by the central authorities were not only inappropriate to his function but also to his responsibilities. This was actually a source of slowness in provincial administration. Then, because the province could not directly benefit the budget from the State, as the process of demand for provincial budget was conducted on behalf of the Department, the projects that were carried out did not necessarily match up with local's need. Finally, the lack of cooperation between officials of different organs who work in the province contributed to an overlap of works and caused thereafter a waste of time and money to the State. Therefore, during the reform in 2001, the then government introduced the concept of "CEO" provincial governor and the system of "Province's Integrated Management - PIM". The provincial governor endorses hereupon the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO), for this reason, his powers have been reinforced so that he can make a fast and effective decision in response to problems occurring in his province like the CEOs to their companies. As for the province, the system of PIM is applied and it is a new way of working which aims to provide a better service for the population.