An Analysis of Public Service Charters

At the core of any visionary government is the need for improved social service delivery in order to effectively meet the growing demand. Malawi has since the advent of multi-party democracy witnessed rolling out of various public service reforms aimed at strengthening the public service towards improved social service delivery. One of the notable reforms has been the introduction of Malawi Public Service Charter (MPSC) as one way of making public institutions become more transparent by outlining to the public the standards they can expect and how public agencies shall perform against those standards. It is more than 9 years since the adoption of MPSC but the charters remain more theoretical than practical and service delivery is still poor. The aim of this study is to analyze Public Service Charters as a tool for Promotion of Good Governance and Improvement of Service Delivery with a special focus on Salima District Council. The author has managed to review the service charter mechanisms in line with the principles of democracy, development and capability approach, rights-based approach, and the sustainable development goals.