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PRSPs & Parliament in Africa
Parliamentary Performance in Four PRSP Countries
Dr. Rasheed DramanParliamentary Centre
Overview:
An analysis based on field research in Ghana, Malawi, Niger and Tanzania
Brief comments on methodology Review of analytical framework Assessment of PRSP performance Strengths and weaknesses of
Parliaments in their PRSP roles
Key Messages:
Careful review of PRSPs in 4 cases shows weaknesses:– Budgets not followed– HIPC funds distorted – Monitoring poor– Gender equity gaps
Suggests present economic policy not being implemented
Main question: how better performance?
Need stronger oversight to correct
Puts focus on role of Parliaments
Parliaments are helping, but need selective support
The Rapid Appraisal Review:
Selected 4 cases of PRSP activity, set up intensive visits, background studies, ongoing follow-up
PC team in each did detailed roundtable, community outreach
Parliamentary audit Community Outreach Meeting,Mchinji, Malawi
Framework for Analysis:
Five parts of PRSP process connect – Diagnosis leads to
decisions re priorities– Must be reflected in
budget cycle process– Then implementation– Monitoring should
change analysis, etc.
Poverty Diagnosis & Analysis
Poverty Policy Priority Decisions
Budget Cycle Process with PRSP Changes
Monitoring and Evaluation of Outcomes/Impacts
Policy Implementation and Service Delivery
Role of Parliaments:
Parliaments inserted in political economy, with special oversight role on:– Civil society participation in diagnosis– How budget reflects PRSP priorities– Monitoring of results on the ground
Treatment of gender another area where Parliament increasing role
Findings on Four PRSPs:
Despite different situations, policy thrusts are similar
But reality is pro-poor spending not being followed in budget performance
E.g. lower Northern Ghana health funds
Ghana Personnel Spending, First half of 2003
Ministry Budget Actual
Food & Agric 76% 98.6%
Health 84% 97.9%
Manpower 78% 94.0%
Defence 79% 93.7%
Overall Total 77% 91.3%Y.Zhou, ‘A Review of Budget PerformanceIn Ghana,’ WBI Video Conference, 2003.
HIPC Benefits Distorted: In 3 of 4 cases HIPC
resources handled outside budget
In some countries, replace budget PRSP promises
Allow non-poor spending increases
Political allocations common
Malawi Budget Review,2003
Key Concerns noted:
1. 17 out of 29 areas of pro-poor spending reduced
2. Including rural feeder roads and water supplies
3. More needed for Health and Agriculture
4. HIVAIDS funds unspent
5. HIPC reporting stopped
Report on the 2003/04 Budget, Malawi Budget and Finance Committee, July, 2003
Gaps in Monitoring & Gender:
Tanzania and Malawi both developing monitoring systems to catch up
Ghana and Niger have taken few steps HIPC Watch in Ghana plays main role Gender equity emphasis hard to see
anywhere – on-the-ground comments critical in Tanzania, Ghana and Malawi
PRSP Challenge:
Quite serious issues arise from review
Poor seem remote from PRSPs, clear performance gaps
HIPC role in these countries mixed
Women key poverty focus, yet sidelined
Can Parliamentary oversight/pressure respond to problems to improve PRSPs?
Not possible in rubber-stamp cases
But these 4 are active Parliaments
What is happening?
Bridge for Poor/Civil Society?
Greater input key to governance change
Parliament links to poor quite limited
E.g. Tanzania audit But good signs on
civil society ties Can be policy plus Niger MPs during village outreach session
Poverty Policy and Parliament
Parliament role small in start of PRSPs But several cases show more leverage
– Tanzania school growth pushed hard by MPs, rate up 58 to 85%, 13000 classrooms
– Malawi Budget Committee has stressed HIV/AIDS mainstream spending
Strong chairs, consensus role important What macroeconomic policy potential?
Gender Equality a Focus:
Gender leadership in all 4 parliaments
Not so much via women’s caucus
Key female-led committees active in pushing PRSP role
Will happen in Niger
Tanzania work to get PRSP say for ‘special seat’ MPs
Ghana committee most active as community monitor
Malawi committee applying ‘gender budget’ to PRSP
Budget Cycle Role:
Mix of strong/weak points very complex
Major budget focus Much public input But few support
resources, no real leverage on plans, so basicly ineffective
Macro policy gap
Planning
Public Accountability
INTERNAL
Budgeting System
Accounting Budgeting Independent System Revenue & Audit/Evaluation Cash/Debt Expenditure
Management System
Financial CONTROLS Reporting
Managerial Reporting
Internal Audit
Budget Cycle Process
Monitoring Role:
Clear findings in this context Parliaments working to be more active,
learning new community-based methods, and pushing for national roles
Strength in this area is widely perceived and links with civil society will help
Close ties to people represented a basis
Main Conclusions:
Must start with evidence of widespread PRSP performance failures – should there be more focus on this as priority?
Parliamentary role overall a mix of strengths (links to civil society, gender focus, monitoring momentum) – and of weaknesses (budget cycle role, links with poor, limits to policy leverage)
What Can Parliaments Do?
Greatest area of strength monitoring
Gains from training on community ideas like score cards
Key women-led committees gender leaders – main goal to strengthen these
Parliaments can also build policy role
Could include more mobilizing of people
Sharing policy ideas and insights among committees useful
Macro policy should be a concern, too
Challenges for Parliaments:
Biggest concern to stress is lack of budget and financial control – must build own capacity, improve staffing, work for impact earlier in budget cycle
Plus continuing challenge of truly reaching poor for serious interaction
To meet these goals, international and national emphases must change to reinforce Parliaments and contributions they can make