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The reduction in rural marginalization of infrastructure in Africa has been achieved through the wide diffusion of the so-called fiscal deviation. According to New Institutional Economics, the provision of public resourcing at the local level is more economic since it meets the geographic specificity of infrastructure provisions. However, when intergovernmental fiscal transfers are towards rural road provision, it is majorly because of several structural impediments, that the corrected road will not be realized. This systematic review of literature with regards to devolution and infra-structure provision has laid emphasis on going beyond overly simplistic input-output models to explore the multiple filters regulating decentralized public works. The focus here is on institutional capacity as a crucial explanatory factor and the way deficits in technical engineering, equipment maintenance, and procurement governance conspire to undermine the potency of devolved funding. Moreover, the study discusses the moderating effects in the face of instability in the broader economy, illustrating how hyper-inflation and currency depreciation can deplete real infrastructure funds purchasing power and result in the erosion of the contractor attrition as observed. Finally, the review has identified systemic barriers, such as climate vulnerability and ministerial red-tape friction. The synthesis of empirical literature from 2010 to 2024 suggests that fiscal decentralisation without a built institutional capacity and insulated mechanisms against macroeconomic turbulence cannot deliver in the long run.

The main aim of this study was to empirically assess the main microeconomic factors that affect a bank's performance. The objectives were to ascertain if there is a relationship between the performance variables with the microeconomic variables, determine those that are significant and their impact on the performance of banks in Zimbabwe. An econometric model was built from balanced panel data and the Arellano-Bond estimation procedure was employed. The empirical analysis was carried out on a sample of 17 banks that were operational in the years 2010 to 2017 in Zimbabwe. Return on Assets (ROA), Return on Equity (ROE) and Net Interest Margin (NIM) were used as the performance indicators in the analysis. The results indicate the main microeconomic factors to be those attributed to growth, credit risk, capitalisation, managerial efficiency, liquidity and diversification in the Zimbabwean financial institutions. Performance in these institutions is generally good as measured by positive persistent profits, that is, ROA, ROE and NIM. These returns reflect the extent to which these institutions are resilient to the economic crisis.