Okbandrias, MeronDaka, Pondani2026-11-132026-11-132026https://hdl.handle.net/10566/25790This study explores the possible causes of unsatisfactory service delivery by local authorities in Zambia, arguing that Zambia will continue to experience high poverty levels until community-based auditing (C-BA) is effectively institutionalized as an instrument of pro-poor public service delivery by local authorities. The main objective of the study was to demonstrate that the problem of high poverty levels in Zambia may be reversed by improving the pro-poor performance of local authorities through the institutionalization of community-based auditing at the decentralized (local) level.enCommunity-based auditingDecentralizationDevolutionPro-poor service deliveryLocal authorityThesis