The state's obligations and the balance with citizens' duties

1Why this matters

Citizens owe duties to the state, and the state owes obligations to its citizens. When either side fails, the other suffers: a state without taxes cannot build schools, and citizens without justice lose trust in the state. This lesson shows how the two sides are balanced.

2Three levels of state obligation

3Obligations of the state to its population

• Security of people and property, and defence of the country.
• Justice through independent courts and the rule of law.
• Basic services: education, health, water, electricity, roads.
• Equality and non-discrimination, including gender equality and inclusion of persons with disabilities.
• Protection of the vulnerable: children, genocide survivors, the elderly and the poor.
• Good governance: accountability, transparency and fighting corruption.
• Unity: preventing genocide, fighting its ideology and denial, and promoting national unity.

4Balancing duties and obligations in Rwanda

Rwanda links the two through several home-grown practices:

• Taxes and services: citizens pay taxes, and the state builds schools, roads and health centres with them.
• Umuganda: citizens contribute labour, and the state and communities plan projects together.
• Imihigo: performance contracts in which leaders commit to specific targets and are publicly evaluated on them. They make the state accountable.
• Umushyikirano: the National Dialogue Council, where citizens can question leaders directly.
• Community health insurance (Mutuelle de Santé): citizens contribute, and the state organises and subsidises care.

Worked example: when the balance fails

Question: What happens if many citizens avoid paying taxes? What happens if officials are corrupt?

If citizens avoid taxes, the state lacks money for schools, hospitals and roads, so it cannot fulfil its obligations. If officials are corrupt, public money is stolen, services fail, and citizens lose the will to contribute. Each failure weakens the other side. The balance works only when citizens do their duties and the state is accountable for its obligations.

Practice

Solution. To respect means the state itself must not violate rights. To protect means it must stop other people from violating them.

Solution. Performance contracts in which leaders commit to specific targets. They are publicly evaluated on whether they met them.

Solution. Building health centres, training health workers, or organising community health insurance (Mutuelle de Santé).

Solution. The state needs citizens' taxes, work and respect for the law to provide services and security, and citizens need an accountable state to make their contributions worthwhile.