2011年-世界发展银行全球_A_Review_of_World_Bank_Support_for_Accountability_Institutions_in_the_Context_of_Governance_and_Anticorruption_78页_1mb

Summary of World Bank Support for Accountability Institutions in the Context of Governance and Anticorruption

Core Content

This working paper reviews the World Bank's support for accountability institutions, particularly those outside the executive branch, in the context of governance and anticorruption. It examines the Bank's approach, including both indirect influence through aid effectiveness and direct support for key institutions, and evaluates the impact of these efforts on development outcomes.

Main Views

• Accountability Institutions: These include both state and non-state entities such as Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs), legislative oversight bodies (e.g., parliamentary committees), ombudsmen, human rights commissions, and civil society organizations (CSOs). The paper emphasizes the importance of supporting the "demand-side" of governance, which refers to the mechanisms through which citizens can hold the government accountable.

• Donor Influence: Donors can influence accountability through both indirect and direct means. Indirect influence involves shaping the enabling environment and influencing the way aid is delivered. Direct support involves strengthening the capacity of specific institutions or engaging in policy dialogue and project-based interventions.

• GAC Strategy Impact: The World Bank's Governance and Anticorruption (GAC) Strategy, introduced in 2007, has significantly influenced the design and implementation of accountability-related projects. The focus has shifted towards public finance management, particularly supporting SAIs, and there has been a notable decline in support for the demand-side of governance.

• Challenges and Trade-offs: The Bank has not fully mainstreamed its guidance or pilot projects into regular operations. There is a trade-off between supporting government responses to external pressures and directly engaging non-state actors to foster demand-side accountability. The Bank's role in promoting an integrated approach to accountability remains critical.

• Outcomes: While the impact on civil society organizations has slightly declined, the support for SAIs has led to improved outcomes in external audit. The strongest results have been seen in core public management and anti-corruption efforts.

Key Information

• Indirect Influence: The Bank's aid effectiveness initiatives aim to shape the scope for domestic accountability. This includes promoting the use of country systems and budgets, and avoiding excessive reliance on external project management.

• Direct Support: The Bank has increased its lending to accountability institutions, particularly SAIs, and has focused on improving the institutional framework and capacity for accountability.

• Shift in Focus: Since 2007, the Bank has placed more emphasis on public finance management and less on civil society and demand-side accountability. This shift has led to more substantial results in areas such as anti-corruption and external audit.

• Governance and Political Economy Analysis: The introduction of the GAC Strategy has improved the governance and political economy analysis in Bank projects related to accountability.

• Aid Flows and Trends: The average annual commitment for accountability-related subsectors was around US$10 million, with most funding directed through investment operations. The Bank has also supported the development of stand-alone projects targeting specific accountability institutions, such as parliaments, SAIs, and ombudsmen.

• Role of the World Bank: The Bank has a unique role in promoting an integrated approach to accountability due to its global knowledge, convening power, and experience in public financial management and civil sector reform.

Tables and Figures

• Table 5.1: Shows the average annual commitment by accountability-related subsectors.

• Table 5.2: Compares the average annual commitment by donor.

• Table 5.3: Lists the number and value of Bank operations related to accountability.

• Table 5.4: Provides the number of Bank operations supporting domestic accountability in the sample.

• Table 5.5: Details the number and value of Bank operations directly supporting domestic accountability institutions.

• Table 5.6-5.9: Lists stand-alone projects with explicit references to parliaments, SAIs, ombudsmen, and human rights commissions.

• Table 6.1: Outlines the World Bank's accountability inputs and outputs.

• Table 6.2: Includes indicators on the effectiveness of domestic accountability institutions.

• Figure 3.1: Illustrates the sequencing of demand-side accountability support across different country contexts.

• Figure 3.2: Presents the evaluation framework for the Bank's support to accountability systems.

Boxes

• Box 2.1: Defines accountability and highlights the different perspectives and terminology used by various authors and organizations.
• Box 4.1: Outlines key principles of good governance.
• Box 5.1: Describes African parliaments in the context of the UN Economic Commission for Africa.

Conclusion

The paper concludes that the World Bank has made progress in supporting accountability institutions, particularly through public finance management and anti-corruption efforts. However, there is a need for a more integrated approach that combines funding, coordination, monitoring, and learning to support diverse domestic accountability systems. The Bank should continue to engage with civil society and improve its support for the demand-side of governance to ensure that accountability is effectively promoted and sustained.