ROLE OF QUALITY AND COST OF SERVICES TOWARDS BUILDING PUBLIC TRUST
Abstract
Quality and cost of services offered by public sector entities, including Ghana’s district assemblies, continue to dominate scholarly and practitioner discourses. The problem analysis highlights governance dilemmas in which efforts to keep fees low weaken service reliability, while fee increases without visible gains deepen distrust. This paper explored the role of service quality and service cost in building public trust in the district assemblies. The study conducted fourteen interviews in the Ga West Municipal Assembly and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly to gather qualitative data. The data were analysed using deductive thematic summary analysis, reinforced with direct quotations from the study participants. Poor service quality was widely linked to the erosion of public trust. While official service fees were expected and acceptable, the added burden of time delays, paperwork, and opaque facilitation charges undermined public trust. There was a preference for private sector providers despite the lower charges by the district assemblies. The study concludes that trust turns on a value-for-money judgement and recommends clear fee schedules, electronic payments, service charters and routine maintenance to align fair costs with reliable delivery.
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