The Role of the Egyptian government in Public Service Provision

The Role of the Egyptian government in Public Service Provision and meeting basic needs1
Salma Dahab, Researcher at Baseera, the Egyptian Centre for Public Opinion Polling
Executive summary
Introduction
The quality of basic services provided by the Egyptian government whether in health, education,
transportation, solid waste management, or other areas, is severely lacking. The problem is more
aggravated in rural areas and in Upper Egypt. In the Human Development Report of 2014, Egypt ranked 110
out of 187 countries.2
Constitutionally the state is responsible for the fulfillment of the basic needs of its citizens3. Failure to meet
its obligations in the provision of basic public services leads citizens to turn to alternative service providers
such as the private sector and charitable organizations. The performance of each sector differs from one
service to another, as does citizen satisfaction with the quality of service provided.
This report, based on quantitative data collected from a nation-wide survey across Egypt, aims to assess
the role of the Egyptian state and other service providers in fulfilling citizens’ basic needs. The survey polled
Egyptians of all ages and backgrounds with regards to education, health, gas, electricity and waste disposal.
It also deals with perceptions of corruption, complaints, efficiency, and security.
Methodology
The results of the report are based on nationwide survey conducted by Baseera, the Egyptian Center for
Public Opinion Research, just before Ramadan between June 16th and June 18th 2015. The poll was
conducted on a national representative sample of 2017 citizens, 18 years of age and above. The survey
was conducted through randomly generated phone numbers (landlines and cell phones), with a response
rate of 54% and a margin of error calculated at 3%. Compared to other surveys carried out by Baseera, the
response rate is high.
1
This research project has been funded by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) as
part of the Masar Citizenship project looking at public opinion trends in Egypt. This project forms part of the broader
Masar Programme designed to accompany processes of political transition across the MENA region.
2 Human Development Index and its components, 2014 Human Development Report, UNDP, available at
https://data.undp.org/dataset/Table-1-Human-Development-Index-and-its-components/myer-egms?
3Moon, B. and Dixon, W. (1985). Politics, the State, and Basic Human Needs: A Cross-National Study. American Journal
of Political Science, 29(4), p.661.
1
Citizens Perceptions of the Role of the Government in the Provision of Basic Needs
The results of the survey show over three quarters of Egyptians (86%) consider the government to be the
main entity responsible for meeting their basic needs. Yet only around 40% claim to be satisfied with the
provision of public services they have access to. Whilst 56% believe that the government provides better
services than other service providers, 20% claim that charities provide the best public services and 11%
state the same for the private sector.
Corruption
Respondents were asked whether they had ever paid a bribe or offered a gift of sorts in order to gain
access to public services or enjoy a better quality thereof. Over a third of respondents (37%) admitted to
having bribed officials at some point, whilst 58% claimed they never had. Interestingly, education level did
was not a determining factor in this type of behavior as respondents with higher education were actually
more likely that respondents of a lower education to have carried out this act (see Fig. 1).
Figure 1: Paying bribes or presenting gifts to get public service or a better quality for it by education
100%
80%
60%
61%
57%
51%
40%
20%
No
31%
41%
49%
Intermediate/ upper
intermediate
University and higher
Yes
0%
Below Average
Educational Level
Despite relatively high levels of dissatisfaction with public service provision, it is worth noting that the
majority of Egyptians have not tried to lodge formal complaints regarding the quality, cost or access to
services. Of the 15% who had attempted to complain about one of the above factors, only a quarter
claimed that this complaint contributed to solving the problem. The profile of those lodging complaints
was typically citizens of a higher socio-economic class and educational level.
Security
Over half of the respondents (67%) strongly agree that the Egyptian forces are successful in fulfilling their
job and providing security to Egyptians, compared to 11% who strongly disagree with this statement. The
highest determining factor in this case was the age of respondents: the younger generation (19 – 29
years) tended to disagree with this assessment whilst the older generation (50 years and above)
supported this assessment. In terms of education level, 51% of respondents with below average
education claim that the police successfully provide security to Egyptians, compared to 39% in the
intermediary education bracket and 32% of those with university education or above.
2
Public opinion of different public services
Education
An overwhelming 93% of respondents believe that education is a fundamental right for both boys and
girls. The majority of Egyptians (86%), have their children enrolled in governmental schools) 8% at Azhari
schools and 6% at private or international schools4. Despite high enrollment figures, international bodies
such as UNICEF have found that the quality of education remains a major challenge that hinders the
capacity of children to develop to their full potential. Baseera’s survey found widespread dissatisfaction
with the quality of educational services across different types of school. Only amongst parents with
children in private schools were the satisfaction ratings slightly higher (see Fig 2.).
Figure 2: Degree of satisfaction with the educational services in Egypt
11%
0%
23%
17%
44%
2%
17%
30%
17%
Don't know
45%
42%
36%
Satisfied
Moderate
Not satisfied
28%
31%
26%
30%
Governmental /
Expermental
schools
Azhari schools
Private schools
No children in
schools
The reasons given by respondents who have children enrolled in schools for dissatisfaction with the
services they receive include teachers who ‘force’ students to take private lessons, who give insufficient
explanations during classes, and who are not qualified enough.
The Global Competitiveness Report 2013/2014 ranked Egypt 148/148 countries in terms of quality of
primary education. The 2014/2015 report showed Egypt ranking for the same indicator to be 141/144,
signifying very little progress achieved and painting a very gloomy picture for the quality of education.5
4
Public schools in Egypt are divided into two types: local Arabic schools and experimental schools. Local Arabic
schools offer the Egyptian curriculum in Arabic, and experimental schools offer the curriculum in a foreign language.
Public schools are funded, supervised and managed by the Ministry of Education. Azhari schools are similar to
national institutes in that they are neither public nor private. These schools follow a private, Islamic-oriented
curriculum set by Al-Azhar University. They are not the responsibility of the Education Ministry, and, like embassy
schools, do not fall under its jurisdiction.
5 Global Competitive Index 2014-15, World Economic Forum (WEF). For more data see Egypt table available at
http://reports.weforum.org/global-competitiveness-report-2014-2015/economies/#economy=EGY
3
Health
According to the results of the survey, more Egyptians would go to private hospitals or clinics than public
hospitals in the case of falling ill (64% and 35% respectively). The same applies in the case of having to
take a relative to a medical facility. Only 2% of respondents would attend medical centers run by charities
or religious organizations such as the Muslim Brotherhood. In terms of the degree of satisfaction with
services provided, those who make use of private facilities are slightly less dissatisfied than those who use
governmental facilities (43% and 35% respectively). It is worth noting that the degree of satisfaction
amongst users of charitable organizations stands at a comparatively high 52%, with a further 40%
moderately satisfied and only 4% expressing dissatisfaction.
Figure 3: Degree of satisfaction between respondents with health service provision in Egypt
8%
35%
4%
11%
52%
43%
Don't know
Satisfied
34%
Moderate
30%
40%
23%
Public Hospital or
facility
16%
Not satisfied
4%
Private Hospitals /
Clinics / Doctors
Chartiable
oranziations
The main grounds for complaint regarding both public and private hospitals is the bad treatment that
patients claim to receive from doctors and nursing staff (41% in public sector and 30% in the private
sector). Respondents in the latter group state that the treatment they receive is inadequate, and users of
public hospitals state that medical staff shout at them and leave them for long periods of time before
seeing a doctor. Other reasons behind user dissatisfaction include the lack of availability of medicines and
specialized equipment, crowded hospitals, and the lack of cleanliness of the facilities.
Household gas
There are two main types of household gas provision in Egypt: natural gas pipes, used by a quarter of
Egyptians, and liquid petroleum cylinders (LPG), used for cooking by 75% of Egyptians. Baseera’s survey
showed that the degree of satisfaction among those who use natural gas pipes is higher than LPG users
(86% and 52% respectively).
4
Figure 4: Degree of satisfaction with different types of household gas provision
3%
6%
52%
Don't know
86%
Satisfied
Moderate
29%
9%
2%
Natural Gas pipes
Not satisfied
13%
Liquid petroluem gas clyinders
Electricity
Power cuts are a common problem in Egypt; the Global Competitiveness Report ranks Egypt as 121 out of
144 countries in terms of quality of the electricity infrastructure and supply.6 At the time of polling for
instance, almost 50% of respondents had suffered electricity outages an average of 6 times in the space of
one week. Power cuts typically last from an hour to several hours and disrupt daily life. Overall 80% of
respondents claim that their daily routines whether at work or at home are negatively affected. Frequent
power cuts contribute to the impression of many citizens that the cost of electricity bills do not reflect
electricity usage by families. As the following graph shows, 52% of respondent believe that their latest
electricity bill was higher than their consumption.
Figure 5: Cost of the last electricity bill compared to consumption
Cost is lower
than
consumption 1%
Don't know
8%
Cost is equivalent to
the consumption
40%
Cost is higher than the
consumption 52%
6
http://reports.weforum.org/global-competitiveness-report-2014-2015/economies/#economy=EGY
5
Waste disposal
Egypt suffers a lack of a formal network of efficient rubbish collection and waste disposal (not to mention
awareness of recycling or engagement in initiatives thereof). Two thirds of those polled for this survey
have their rubbish collected from their homes or the street outside, compared to the remaining third who
dump it into empty plots of land and canals and those who burn it.
Respondents were roughly split between those who paid money to the government for rubbish collection
and those who did not. Amongst the characteristics of those polled for this survey, area of residence was
most likely to influence citizens’ perception of waste disposal services. For instance, despite relying on
informal networks of rubbish collectors, respondents in rural areas were more likely to “never” notice the
accumulation of waste compared to respondents living in urban areas (51% and 31% respectively).
Figure 5: Reasons of dissatisfaction with waste disposal service in Egypt
37%
Streets are full of garbage –
Streets are not clean
13%
12%
Dereliction of officials –
Officials don’t care about
waste disposal
Discrimination between areas
– lack of interest in informal
areas
Amongst those who expressed dissatisfaction with waste disposal services, the main reasons given include
the accumulation of rubbish in the streets, followed by the neglect of officials, and the discrimination
between rural and urban areas.
Conclusion
The survey results show that there is widespread dissatisfaction with public service provision in Egypt
across age ranges, educational levels, area of residence, and gender. Elements behind poor delivery have
been identified in previous studies as overly centralized planning, corruption, lack of participation in
planning from local communities, and limited mechanisms of accountability.7 Whilst attributing all
responsibility to the state in Egypt’s centralized political system may be the easiest thing to do, it is clear
that citizens should also be prepared to assume a more active role in holding their government to account
for the persistent low quality of public services.
This survey showed that most Egyptians place responsibility for meeting their basic needs on the state.
Yet under half claim to be satisfied with governmental service provision; 20% believe that charitable
organizations such as the Muslim Brotherhood provide better services, and 11% state the same for the
private sector. Given this poor degree of satisfaction with public service provision, it is clear that there
needs to be much improvement in the quality and efficiency of services offered by the Egyptian state and
other providers.
7
Laila El Baradei, Enhancing Accountability in the Provision of Public Services through Direct Citizen Participation,
Policy Brief 23, Egypt Network for Integrated Development (ENID), September 2014
6