Devolution as a measure of good governance in Lesotho: ethics- and rights-based justifications

Decentralisation is generally understood as a form of governance wherein powers are delegated to lower authority structures. In political administration, it is characterised in federal governments, deconcentration and devolution approaches. While Lesotho has constitutionally provided for decentralisation through the establishment of local authority structures, this attempt has been understood as a Deconcentration model, a type of decentralisation approach rendered ineffective in scholarly discourses. In this model, decisive powers on critical matters remain reserved for the central government. Towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as Zero Hunger, Inclusive and Sustainable growth, this paper suggests the Devolution model. It is argued that devolved decentralisation as a governance approach facilitates the realisation of human rights implicitly tied with the aforementioned SDGs. The realisation of these rights essentially enables the achievement of the SDGs. The goodness of devolution is established through its fitness in the moral or ethical frameworks employed in the paper.