1. Poverty Reduction: Are the Strategies Working?
Accountability: can the new PRSs engage the poor? WVUK June/July 05
Fletcher WB/IMF meetings 2005

2. Fletcher WB/IMF meetings 2005
Overview
The argument
Methodology
Key Focus Areas/ observations
Recommendations
Conclusion
Fletcher WB/IMF meetings 2005

3. Fletcher WB/IMF meetings 2005
The Argument
The PRS approach has the potential to promote domestic accountability and influence the government- donor relationships on poverty reduction(p.9).
But it needs radical improvements in order to effectively move the domestic agenda from consultation with poor people to enabling them to influence and hold it accountable; and the donor agenda from conditionality to mutual accountability
Fletcher WB/IMF meetings 2005

4. Who ‘owns’ what? Who is accountable to whom?
EXTERNAL CONSTITUENCY
DOMESTIC CONSTITUENCY
media
Civil Society
Children, women, poor families
Traditional institutions
CITIZENS
Civil Society
Decentralised donor agencies
Parliament
Parliament
PRS CYCLE
- Policy
Budget
Aid flows
Trade strategies
Private sector
Decentralised govt
DONOR AGENCY
GOVERNMENT
From consultation to influence
From conditionality
to accountability
Fletcher WB/IMF meetings 2005

5. Fletcher WB/IMF meetings 2005
Methodology
- WV’s work with poor communities & PRSPs, other NGOs, chronic poverty research by the CPRC, PRSP evaluations, author’s past work on political economy of participation and negotiation
Zambia and Bolivia as in-depth case studies, other countries through literature review
Individual interviews, focus groups with reps in govt, donors, CSOs, community
Fletcher WB/IMF meetings 2005

6. Key Focus Areas/ Issues
Understanding poverty
From consultation to policy influence
PRS accountability
Monitoring and Evaluation as accountability drivers
Donor systems and behaviour
Fletcher WB/IMF meetings 2005

7. Understanding poverty/ poverty diagnostics
Wish lists or perspectives and projects/programmes? (the HIPC factor)
Social sectors vs productive sectors (the HIPC factor)
Participatory poverty assessments (PPAs) not able to link micro to macro issues adequately and locate them in power & historical issues
Fletcher WB/IMF meetings 2005

8. From understanding poverty to influencing
The extent to which consultations have resulted in policy change not clear
Representation/ ‘representativity’; issues of democratic vs participatory representation
Space & capacity to engage, issues/budget, knowledge of policy making processes
Macro-economic framework e.g. PRGFs vs PRS cycle
Political processes, e.g. PRS vs nature of politics
Fletcher WB/IMF meetings 2005

9. Fletcher WB/IMF meetings 2005
PRS accountability
Vertical vs Horizontal forms of accountability, formal vs informal forms of accountability
Social accountability (priorities, mechanisms, monitoring,donors)
The budget process/ MTEF
PRS monitoring
Multi-dimensionality of poverty, data quality, quantity
Fragmented policy processes making
Chain of causality between policies and outcomes
PSIA great potential but
Barriers of access to information
APRs, PAFs, JSAs and JSAN
Fletcher WB/IMF meetings 2005

10. Donor harmonisation and alignment; conditionality and accountability
Countries on the driving seat, challenges
Nature of funding vs domestic resources
Sectoral preferences still strong for donors
Commitment to mutual accountability
Outcome based conditionality right direction but - - -
The relationship between outcomes and policies
The relationship between outcomes and impacts
Fletcher WB/IMF meetings 2005

11. Fletcher WB/IMF meetings 2005
Recommendations (1)
PRSs must be fully embedded in the national development policy-making process, with well institutionalised CS participation
PRS process leadership together with the donor harmonisation/ alignment agenda, UN role
PRS design processes must include medium and long-term political mapping strategies
Fletcher WB/IMF meetings 2005

12. Fletcher WB/IMF meetings 2005
Recommendations (2)
4. The drawing of indicators and targets and monitoring systems for donor progress on ownership, alignment and harmonisation should be based on PRS sector priorities and budgets. CS consultation a key part
5. PRSs must be costed and funded based on a ‘value adding’ approach from grassroots to the national level, including capacity building
6. Donor conditionality and performance frameworks must be based on human rights and strengthening domestic accountability, using transparently agreed outcomes.
Fletcher WB/IMF meetings 2005

13. Fletcher WB/IMF meetings 2005
Recommendations (3)
7. Civil society involvement should be formalised in donor development cooperation policies with developing countries. This should include policy provisions for CSO in GBS
8. Special attention should be given to vulnerable groups, especially children and people living with disabilities, in the design and monitoring of PRSs from RBA. Donors should include these in their PAFs
Fletcher WB/IMF meetings 2005

14. Fletcher WB/IMF meetings 2005
Thank you!
Telephone: +44(0)
Fletcher WB/IMF meetings 2005