The Mozambican civil service: Incentives, reforms and performance

The post-independence Mocambican civil service, what was left of it following the exodus of Portuguese settlers in the mid-1970s, was poorly educated, with low incentives. In subsequent years, the combination of a war-ravaged economy, poor human resources and mass poverty made it difficult for the state to redress the harsh colonial legacy by improving access to social services, notably education and healthcare. In 1987, the government embarked on structural adjustment reforms in a bid to create the macroeconomic conditions for growth. However, to meet the government's stated goal of poverty reduction demands more efficient institutional machinery, not only at the state level but also in the countryside. This study is an attempt to put in perspective the role of the state, notably the civil service, in the new dispensation in the country. – Mozambique ; civil service ; peace dividend ; economic reforms