Enhancing country ownership of Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRS)

1
Enhancing country ownership of Poverty Reduction
Strategies (PRS)
Filippo CavassiniThe World Bank

• PRS Day
• Accra, Ghana
• May 2, 2005

2
Presentation outline

1. Country ownership in context.
2. A framework to assess country ownership of PRSs.
3. Country experiences.
4. Challenges.

3
1. Country ownership in context
Country ownership underpins the PRS process
together with

• Long-term Vision
• -short-term and medium-term policies integrated
  into a national development strategy linked to a
  long-term vision and the budget.
• Country-led Partnership
• -coordination, alignment and harmonization of
  development assistance under government
  leadership.
• Results Focus
• -continuous evaluation of performance to review
  and update policies and programs.

4
and it is regularly assessed through

• Assessments of PRS process
• Joint World Bank-IMF Assessments of Progress in
  Implementation of PRSs (since 2000).
• World Bank CDF Progress Reports (since 1999).
• OED and IEO Evaluations of PRS initiative (2004).
• Case Studies
• Country case studies on PRS implementation
  prepared by OED and IEO for evaluations of PRS
  initiative (2004).
• World Bank four case studies on country ownership
  of PRSs in Bolivia, Ghana, Kyrgyz Republic and
  Senegal (2005).

and many others undertaken outside the World
Bank and the IMF (e.g. SPA/ODI, UNDP Evaluation
Office, Oxfam)
5
Some findings of the 2005 CDF Progress Report for
the 55 countries implementing a PRS or IPRS

• 73 have taken action to develop a coherent
  long-term vision and medium-term strategy linked
  to the budget, with 16 advanced.
• 63 have taken action toward deepening country
  ownership of national development strategy, 12
  of which are advanced.
• In 47 governments have taken some action to
  provide more leadership for internal and external
  partners to align and forge partnerships around a
  single national development strategy, 10 of
  which exercise strong, effective leadership.
• In 47 greater attention to results has led to
  stronger data collection, more transparency and
  efforts toward a country level ME system that
  informs strategy refinements, 4 of which are
  advanced.

6
2. A framework to assess country ownership of PRSs

• What is country ownership?
• Country ownership of PRSs multidimensional.
• Country ownership of PRSs dynamic.
• The factors of country ownership.

7
What is country ownership?

• Locus of initiative, intellectual conviction,
  public support from leadership and stakeholders,
  institutionalization.
• Operational approach to country ownership
  elusive.
• Participation often used as a proxy for ownership.

8
Country ownership of PRSs multidimensional

• Internal dimensions
• Broad agreement within the executive on country
  priorities.
• Broad support among national institutions
  (parliament, local governments).
• Broad support among internal partners/domestic
  stakeholders (civil society, private sector).
• External dimensions
• Needs and priorities of individual countries
  rather than those of external partners shape the
  PRS.
• External assistance aligned with PRS.
• Progressive move toward use of country systems to
  support PRS implementation and ME.

9
Country ownership of PRSs dynamic

• Unlikely to be achieved in any one PRS cycle
• Capacity constraints.
• Entrenched practices and vested interests.
• Institutional and political structures.
• Continuum
• Learning by doing.
• Evolving as strategy implementation progresses.

10
The factors of country ownership

• Leadership within and participation across the
  executive.
• Government-stakeholder dialogue.
• Role and impact of national institutions.
• Role and impact of internal partners.
• Role and impact of external partners.
• Political and economic shocks.

11
3. Country experiences

• Burkina Faso, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal,
  Tanzania, Uganda.
• Presented within the factors of country ownership.

12
Leadership and participation across the executive

• Clear alignment of finance and planning
• Uganda The Ministry of Finance, Planning and
  Economic Development leads PEAP implementation.
• PRS formulation and implementation embedded in
  interministerial coordination mechanisms and
  linked to MTEF
• Mozambique Economic Council (line ministries
  Central Bank) approved PARPA and coordinating
  PARPA implementation and MTEF.
• Line ministries aligning sector action plans with
  PRS priorities
• Senegal 24 sector operation programs national
  workshop to harmonize them.

13
Government-stakeholder dialogue

• Mechanism for systematic consultations, with
  mutually agreed objectives/timetable
• Senegal terms of reference and timetable for
  consultations agreed by government and
  stakeholders at a National Seminar prior to PRS
  formulation.
• Burkina Faso regional councils as permanent
  venue for dialogue with stakeholders yearly
  participatory CSLP revisions at the national and
  regional levels.
• Communication strategies including PRS translated
  into local languages
• Ghana Development Communication Enhancement
  Program simplified version of GPRS circulated in
  local languages broad dissemination of Progress
  Report website.
• Malawi radio campaign prior to the launch of the
  MPRS, and the Malawi Economic Justice Network
  disseminating information on the MPRS through the
  radio, newspapers, and training programs.

14
Government-stakeholder dialogue (cont.)

• ME system incorporating information exchange
  between government and stakeholders
• Tanzania Poverty Monitoring Steering Committee
  joint government stakeholder committee revised
  medium-term indicators to strengthen coherence
  with PRS objectives.

15
Role and impact of national institutions

• Parliamentary committees contributing to PRS
  formulation and implementation
• Ghana parliamentary committee on the GPRS
  presenting report to plenary during GPRS
  formulation special committee on poverty
  reduction to oversee GPRS implementation.
• Local development plans compatible with PRS
• Uganda district development plans feeding into
  2004 update of PEAP.
• Burkina Faso formulation of ten regional
  strategies feeding into formulation of CSLP II.

16
Role and impact of internal partners

• Umbrella CSOs facilitating deepening of dialogue
• Tanzania NGO policy forum, chaired by member
  NGOs on a rotating basis, participating in PERs
  and contributing to formulation of new PRS
  (NSGPR).
• Senegal CONGAD, Collectif and Trade Unions
  facilitating dialogue between government and
  civil society during DSRP formulation and
  implementation.

17
Role and impact of external partners

• Alignment of assistance strategies with PRS
  priorities
• Uganda partnerships principles to guide dialogue
  with external partners joint country assistance
  strategy.

18
Political and economic shocks

• Interruptions due to political and economic
  events to be factored in
• Ghana 2001 government change strengthening GPRS
  process but effects of 2000 economic crisis
  reducing resources and affecting GPRS
  macroeconomic framework.

19
4. Challenges

• Integrating PRSs into national planning
  instruments, linked to long-term visions can
  strengthen sustainability.
• Involvement of line ministries and local
  governments in PRS formulation and implementation
  can help broaden consensus on PRS objectives and
  facilitate implementation.
• Permanent mechanisms for sustained dialogue
  between government and country stakeholders can
  help embed participation into national
  decision-making processes.
• Involvement of national institutions can enhance
  accountability.
• Representation of stakeholders through umbrella
  organizations, which consult with their members
  prior to engaging the government, can increase
  transparency.