Assessing service delivery in Ugandan local governments: A composite indicator approach

Background: This study assesses service delivery within and among local governments in Uganda, utilising a composite indicator that aggregates elementary indicators under five dimensions: education, health, water, financial inclusion, and crime. Aim: To devise and demonstrate the applicability of an alternative approach that holistically assesses local government service delivery performance using a singular indication as preferred to a plurality of disparate indicators. Methods: Elementary indicators were collated from various secondary sources, normalised, weighted and aggregated to derive the composite indicator. The scores were correlated with selected local government characteristics to establish associations. External validity of the composite indicator was assessed. Results: Uncertainty analysis shows that the min-max normalisation, budget allocation process (BAL) and additive aggregation produce the most stable rankings. Overall, Uganda’s performance stands at 45%. The composite indicator scores are positively correlated with population size and the age of the local government, but negatively correlated with the number of sub-counties and the distance from the capital city. Conclusion: A composite indicator approach recognises the multidimensionality of the service delivery phenomenon. Rooted in a strong theoretical framework and quality data, it enables the application of objective statistical analyses that can empirically reveal drivers of service delivery in local governments. Contribution: This article contributes to the literature by revealing what it would take to assess performance of a local government from a composite indicator perspective. Additionally, it has the potential to inform the rationalisation of the fragmented local governments and sector resource allocations for an equitable service provision experience throughout the four corners of Uganda.