ll. Findings of the CRM 361. CRM interactions with senior public servants of the URT confirmed the tremendous amount of progress in implementing a plethora of legislation, policies, measures, frameworks and action plans aimed at enhancing public sector efficiency, transparency, and accountability over a period of two decades. Indeed, as noted in the CSAR, Tanzania embarked upon a massive public sector transformation agenda following years of unsustainable fiscal strain exerted on the national budget by an over-bloated public service. In addition, the country suffered from problems associated with inefficient service delivery and the inadequate performance of the civil service. Consequently, and commendably, the only rational option available was to transform not only the systems and institutions charged with responsibilities for public service delivery, but also the entire culture and mind-set associated with public sector performance issues in a centralised, one-party state and a socialist economy. 362. Against the background of the ideological shift from a socialist to a free-market economy, Tanzania’s public sector reform efforts were inspired by the prevailing New Public Management (NPM) approach. The parameters included: (i) reducing government running costs and raising the levels of discipline in the labour force to improve resource use; (ii) refocusing public sector activities to promote private sector style management practices; (iii) introducing non-governmental and private sector actors to service provision and the economy, decentralising and devolving authority within the government; and, (iv) setting explicit standards and performance measures to enhance upward accountability within public sector organisations. 363. These principles were a standardised menu under the World Bank’s Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) foisted on many African countries in the 1990s and early 2000s. By making access to SAP loans conditional upon public sector reforms and providing extensive technical assistance, many donors became the driving force behind these reforms in Africa. Tanzania was no exception in this regard. 364. The CRM established that the initial phase of the CSRP was launched in 1991. It focused on redefining the role of the state in Tanzania and rightsizing government in order to bring public expenditure, and the wage bill especially, under control. The CSRP streamlined government structures resulting in a 25 per cent reduction in the number of ministries, departments and agencies, and a significant drop in public service employees, from 355,000 to 264,000 between 1992-1998. 365. Other significant achievements of the CSRP were: (i) instituting a fully integrated Human Resources Managements System; (ii) an increase in civil service salaries in real terms and a more transparent and efficient payroll; (iii) launching of the decentralisation programmes, setting up executive agencies and contracting non-core activities to the private sector, as well as adopting measures to re-engineer service delivery. 366. During the CSRP phase, capacity building was provided for core staff needed to implement the reforms, including crash-training programmes in critical skills to enhance the capacity to develop and implement reforms. Finally, it was under the CSRP phase that many of the legislative measures and policies were adopted to establish agencies and implement personnel management for public officials, based on meritocracy [Mutahaba, 2002; 04]. Managing the process of implementation was a remarkable success in and of itself; not many African states were able to stay the reform course as smoothly. 367. The CRM notes the considerable progress under this phase except for decentralisation and local government reforms which were barely taking off by the end of the CSRP. Without a doubt, Tanzania’s reform efforts did benefit from the political support of the leadership, relative civic peace, unity, and stability, under the dominance of a single-party system (see also Kiragu and Mukandala, 2004). Under the socialist system, power was concentrated in the ruling party (CCM). This imposed restrictions on downward accountability to voters within the party. The CCM’s long-standing policies of equity, social justice and electoral competition enjoyed broad support that lasted even after the transition from the socialist era. 368. The CRM notes that interest groups, such as trades unions that traditionally opposed public service reforms were acquiescent and did not oppose the reforms, constrained by the belief that they would threaten peace and tranquility if they made radical demands. Clearly, Tanzania’s political environment of uncompetitive pluralism as well as political stability resulted in low political stress. This allowed government to push through its reforms programs relatively successfully without much resistance. 85