Introduction

Abstract

The state bears the responsibility to provide services to its citizenry. This is not only because there are weak and vulnerable members of society that cannot afford the basics but also because some services are of a nature that cannot effectively be provided by the private sector. The effectiveness and transparency in the delivery of public services has long been a topic for discussion in political and academic discourse. Issues tend to focus around transparency and questions of whether the right, deserving people are receiving the services; whether the mode of service delivery is the most effective and whether or not government expenditure is fully accounted for in the service delivery continuum of input, output and impact.