1 Vietnam: PPAs and PRS Finnish Aid in a PRS Context Helsinki Workshop May 2003

2 Vietnam: PPAs and the PRSP Participatory poverty assessments conducted by 4 PPA partners with local authorities Highly influential in Vietnam policy process unlike much other qualitative research Also set the stage for PRS consultation exercise

3 Donor impetus to the PPA World Bank, DFID, UNDP, SIDA identified need for a new poverty assessment –To be done in partnership with central and local government, CS and other donors –One poverty assessment would meet needs of all groups –To incorporate qualitative information

4 NGO impetus to PPA Action Aid Vietnam – recd request from Ha Tinh govt to assist with qual and quant studies in support of policy development SCFUK - pilot PPA conducted in Ho Chi Minh City to inform devt of larger PPA programme

5 Donor-INGO partnership WB entered into a long process of identifying partners both able and willing to implement PRSPs –AAV and SCFUK –Oxfam GB – had worked in Tra Vinh with local authorities to address poverty –Vietnam-Sweden Mountain Rural Development Programme – had worked in 5 provinces of the northern upland region (Lao Cai)

6 Links with GoV Poverty Working Group - a high level forum with GoV-donor-CSO membership Results of PPAs to be published through PWG Again, long process of negotiation with GoV stakeholders established credibility of research and ensured findings would be relayed to policy makers

7 Collaboration PPA agencies collaborated because: –Would have done similar work anyway to inform own research, advocacy or programming –Were able to focus on special areas for their own interest –Link with national policy process was attractive Important for quality of research that this was not just a contract Synthesis of results would link to WDR 2000 (and Voices of the Poor) and thus international audience

8 Synthesis Considerable overlap between the info needs of the NGOs and the info needed for a national poverty assessment Agreed that all studies would use certain techniques and cover certain subjects Close cooperation between 4 agencies

9 Partnering? Local NGOs and research organisations were hired to help with the studies Process of conducting the PPAs meant improved relationships with these organisations But weakness of local NGO community a hurdle for greater partnership

10 Methodology All agencies had been using participatory techniques routinely in their region for many years and employed: –Focus groups –Semi-structured interviews –Wealth/well-being rankings –Matrix and preference ranking and sorting –Flow diagrams Worked separately with women, elderly, children

11 Use of the PPAs

12 Use of the PPAs Large provincial workshops at the end of each PPA Findings generally well accepted Fed into Vietnam: Attacking Poverty along with quant data GoV requested PPA guidelines for local authorities to use in planning I-PRSP drew on PPA findings

13 Link with the PRS consultations Not foreseen at the time of the PPAs but very useful link After I-PRSP completed, PPA partners took it back to the PPA research sites (+ INGOs facilitated consultations in 2 other sites) Researchers provided from local NGOs, consultants, research institutes, local mass organisations (though limitations on amount local NGOs could be involved)

14 Link with the PRS consultations Drafted a research programme based on the I-PRSP Asked communities whether the draft policy would address the issues identified in the PPA research Ability of NGOs to draw direct connection between PPA findings and policy proposals a great strength

15 Impacts for NGOs Significant resources demanded Tight timeframe meant restricted capacity building gains Improved relationships with local NGOs and research organisations, and local authorities Helped reorient some of their programmes

16 Impacts for PRSP process Value of participatory/qualitative work brought home to GoV Demonstrated value of revisiting communities to question policies Policy content of PRS improved