Public Administration Reform and Decentralized Governance Regional Workshop

Public Administration Reform and Decentralized Governance Regional Workshop, Poverty Reduction, Capacity Development and, Local Governance September 3 -6, 2007 Elissar Sarrouh Senior Advisor Public Administration Reform Democratic Governance Group

Presentation Outline § Part I: UNDP Support to Public Administration Reform: Sorting Out the Basics § Part II: New Trends, Opportunities and Challenges in Public Administration Reform § Part III: PAR/LG and UNDP Strategic Plan 2008 -2011

PART ONE UNDP Support to Public Administration Reform: Sorting Out the Basics

General Assembly Resolution 57/277 On Public Administration & Development § “an efficient, accountable, effective and transparent public administration, at the local, national and international levels, has a key role to play in the implementation of internationally agreed goals, including the MDGs”. § In that context, the Resolution stresses the need “to strengthen public sector administrative and managerial capacity-building, in particular in developing countries, and countries in economic transition”.

UNDP and PAR Historical Trends, 1999 -2003 § 380 projects in 112 countries and 5 regions § 63% in Medium HDI countries § 24% in Low HDI of no HDI countries

Regional Trends § RBA – driven by structural adjustment and strong donor pressure; decentralization focus; CSR; ‘holistic’ approaches § RBAP – UNDP increasingly crowded out; shift towards decentralization; CSR, institutional capacity building, public awareness and pro-poor reform § RBAS – few countries, focus on technical reforms, anticorruption, ICT § RBEC – EU accession; transitional economy issues § RBLAC – shift from focus on economic and financial management (“modernization”) to more ambitious approaches: NPM, performance-based CSR, and introducing ‘voice’

UNDP and PAR Historical Trends, 1999 -2003 (Cont’d) Trends in UNDP PAR interventions: § § Promoting a Professional Civil Service, 35 interventions Functional Reviews, 82 interventions Training of Civil Servants, 310 interventions ICT to Enhance Public Services, 63 interventions

UNDP Challenges in PAR § Sustainability of neutrality in a politically charged and changing environment § Securing cooperation among stakeholders § Ensuring continuous support ? ? § Crowded Out?

PART II New Trends, Opportunities and Challenges in Public Administration Reform

Emerging Trends in UNDP PAR Interventions § PAR accounted for 40% of all democratic governance expenditures of UNDP during the last three years. § Enhancing Local Governance is an emerging trend in the PAR area.

Emerging Trends in UNDP PAR Interventions

PAR at Local Levels of Government

PAR and UNDP Decentralization and Local Governance Interventions § Decentralization/Local Governance accounts for 21% of all democratic governance expenditures of UNDP during the last three years. § PAR interventions are increasingly integrated into UNDP decentralization/local governance projects. § PAR interventions are components of 53 activities reported under Decentralization and Local Governance line of the Results database (total 81 activities) in 2006. It means that at least 65% of all Local Governance interventions of UNDP include a PAR component.

Why Local Governance? Local Governance: § can improve resource allocation and service provision by bringing decision makers and service providers {duty bearers} closer to service users {rights holders}; § allows developing unique solutions to unique problems; § allows for a greater involvement of citizens in decision making regarding public services; and § is one of the predominant approaches to strengthening democracy.

PAR and Local Governance Public Administration Reform (PAR) can achieve the following objectives: § Strengthen local governance capacity through training and other capacity building tools; § Establish new accountability frameworks promoting local governance; § Enhance local accountability by establishing mechanisms for direct interaction between local residents and local public administrations; § Clarify financial aspects of center-local government responsibilities (e. g. , revenue collection, transfers, budgeting); and § Strengthen local NGOs and other stakeholders in their ability to be proactively involved into local level decision making.

Defining Decentralization • Political decentralization transfers political power and authority to sub-national levels such as elected village councils and state level bodies. Where such transfer is made to a local level of public authority that is autonomous and fully independent from the devolving authority, devolution takes place. • Under fiscal decentralization, some level of resource reallocation is made to allow local government to function properly, with arrangements for resource allocation usually negotiated between local and central authorities. Administrative decentralization involves the transfer of decision making authority, resources and responsibilities for the delivery of selected public services from the central government to other lower levels of government, agencies, and field offices of central government line agencies. There are two basic types. Deconcentration is the transfer of authority and responsibility from one level of the central government to another with the local unit accountable to the central government ministry or agency which has been decentralized. Delegation, on the other hand, is the redistribution of authority and responsibility to local units of government or agencies that are not always necessarily, branches or local offices of the delegating authority, with the bulk of accountability still vertical and to the delegating central unit. Finally, divestment or market decentralization transfers public functions from government to voluntary, private, or non-governmental institutions through contracting out partial service provision or administration functions, deregulation or full privatization. • •

Challenges of Decentralization § Decentralization does not automatically lead to improved developmental outcomes for the poor and other disadvantaged groups. § In the absence of effective local accountability frameworks, some local officials may divert the funds for personal gain. § Performance of the public service may suffer because decentralization entails new lines of accountability and reporting. § Limited capacity of local governments may hamper local decision making and service delivery (e. g. , revenue collection, budgeting, determining expenditure priorities).

Fiscal Decentralization As a Condition for Successful Decentralization § Fiscal decentralization defines how and in what way expenditures and revenues are organized between and across different levels of government in the national polity (Source: UNDP, Fiscal Decentralization and Poverty Reduction, 2005) § To be really independent in their decisions and accountable to local residents, local governments should be able to: § Mobilize resources from the local community and reduce its financial dependency on the central government; § Determine its own expenditure priorities; § Have sufficient revenue to meet their obligations; and § Be accountable to local residents for their fiscal management.

How PAR Can Help in Fiscal Decentralization § Support local governments in developing their capacity to set their own expenditure priorities through consultations with local residents and stakeholders. § Ensure through functional and policy reviews that central ministries do not consume scarce national resources for functions that have been decentralized. § Support development of local taxing and budgeting capacities. § Embed results- and performance focused approaches into fiscally decentralized systems so that fiscal decentralization benefits the poor and other disadvantaged groups.

How PAR Can Help in Fiscal Decentralization (Cont’d) § Ensure that revenue sharing between the central and local governments is a transparent process so that citizens would understand how much is being shared and for what purposes. § Take into consideration human rights implications of fiscal decentralization reforms in terms of analyzing whether public services are improved and rights better protected. § Enhance local accountability and monitoring frameworks to support public participation in financial decision-making.

PART III PAR/LOCAL GOVERNANCE and UNDP Strategic Plan 2008 -2011

UNDP Strategic Plan: Old and New Multi Year Funding Frame (MYFF) § 5 Goals § § § MDGs and POVERTY REDUCTION DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT CRISIS PREVENTION and RECOVERY HIV/AIDS § 5 Service Lines § Decentralization/LG (2. 6) § Public Admin Reform/AC (2. 7)

UNDP Strategic Plan: Old and New STRATEGIC PLAN § 4 Focus Areas § § MDGs and Poverty Reduction Democratic Governance Crisis Prevention and Recovery Energy and Environment § 4 Key Results Area § § Outcomes Indicators Baselines Targets

Democratic Governance Focus Area Key Result Area or Cluster I: Fostering Inclusive Participation Key Result Area or Cluster II: Strengthening Responsive Governing Institutions Key Result Area/Cluster III: Grounding Democratic Governance in International Principles

Focus Area 2: Democratic Governance GOAL {2}: § To strengthen national and local capacities for democratic governance, building upon the principles of the Millennium Declaration and the World Summit Outcome

KR 2. 2: Strengthening Responsive Governing Institutions OUTCOME {2. 2. 4} § National, regional and local levels of governance expand their capacities to manage the equitable delivery of public services and to reduce conflict

KR 2. 2: Strengthening Responsive Governing Institutions KEY INDICATORS {outcome 2. 2. 4} 1. No. of targeted countries that have implemented initiatives aimed at strengthening local government capacities 2. No. of targeted countries where participatory or accountability practices in local government have been improved 3. No. of targeted local governments that have prepared, in consultation with all relevant stakeholders, local development plans that provide for the equitable delivery of public services

PAR AT LOCAL GOVERNANCE: Proposed Tools and Resources § Capacity building in the area of PAR and local governance through: § Preparing a resource guide/Tool Kit on PAR and local governance § Providing training supporting the roll-out of the resource guide/Tool Kit (e. g. , web casts) § Sponsoring a series of regional workshops to promote the resource guide/Tool Kit § Seeking feedback from communities of practice on drafts of the resource guide/Tool Kit on PAR and local governance § Identifying and supporting potential South-South cooperation in the area of PAR and decentralization

PAR and Local Governance Proposed Tools and Resources § A resource guide on PAR and local governance would: § Review the current state of the art research on the role of PAR in decentralization § Identify successful practices in UNDP interventions (e. g. world wide and region-specific, by area of focus) § Include specific recommendations for teams developing decentralization and local governance projects on how to develop and implement effective PAR interventions (e. g. checklists, suggestions regarding process, including sequence, communication with stakeholders) § Provide a list of indicators that can be utilized to measure success of PAR interventions in the area of decentralization

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