2008年-世界发展银行全球_Parliaments_Role_in_Poverty_Reduction_Strategies_4页_499kb

Capacity Development Brief 5 Summary: The Role of Parliament in Poverty Reduction Strategies

Core Content

This document explores the evolving role of parliaments in poverty reduction strategies (PRS), particularly focusing on the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) introduced in 1999 by the World Bank. It highlights how parliaments can contribute to the formulation, implementation, and oversight of PRSPs through their representative, legislative, and oversight functions. The paper also discusses the challenges and opportunities for parliamentary involvement in the PRS process and provides examples from Tanzania and Malawi to illustrate these points.

Main Points

1. Importance of Parliamentary Involvement

• Governance and Public Service Delivery: Parliaments are key actors in improving governance and ensuring effective public service delivery.
• Country Ownership: The PRS process emphasizes country ownership, which requires political support and stakeholder engagement, including parliaments.
• Community Participation: Parliaments are uniquely positioned to represent the people and ensure that their voices are included in policy formulation.

2. Key Roles of Parliament in PRS

• Diagnosis and Analysis: Parliaments can identify areas of poverty concentration and ensure that the analysis includes regional, occupational, ethnic, and gender dimensions.
• Prioritization and Policy Coordination: They can help prioritize poverty-related policies and ensure coordination across different sectors.
• Budget Oversight: Parliaments play a central role in reviewing and approving PRSPs, making budget analysis a key function.
• Implementation and Monitoring: They can monitor the implementation of PRSPs, evaluate outcomes, and ensure accountability.
• Public Awareness and Advocacy: Through information dissemination, parliaments can raise awareness about poverty reduction policies and their impact.

3. Examples of Parliamentary Engagement

• Tanzania: Parliament's involvement led to a significant reduction in the cost of the PRS exercise and increased focus on education. The elimination of school fees as part of the PRSP contributed to a dramatic rise in net enrollment and teacher recruitment.
• Malawi: Parliament played a critical role in ensuring effective use of funds for HIV/AIDS interventions, including the establishment of oversight mechanisms and public hearings.

4. Progress and Challenges

• Early Involvement: Initially, parliaments were only marginally involved in the PRS process.
• Growing Participation: Over time, there has been increased recognition of the importance of parliamentary involvement, with more countries incorporating parliaments into the PRS process.
• Challenges: In many countries, parliaments still lack the necessary human, financial, and institutional capacity to engage effectively. Infrastructure, access to data, and staff resources are often inadequate.

Key Information

• Country Participation: As of 2007, 65 countries were participating in the PRS process, with 33 in Africa.
• Institutional Support: The World Bank Institute (WBI) and the Parliamentary Centre have been instrumental in promoting parliamentary involvement through training, forums, and capacity-building initiatives.
• Capacity Development: WBI has provided various tools and training programs to help parliaments enhance their ability to monitor and evaluate PRSPs, particularly in areas such as budget oversight and financial transparency.
• International Collaboration: There has been growing international collaboration to strengthen parliamentary engagement, including the establishment of networks and coalitions.

Conclusion

Parliaments are essential in the PRS process due to their role in ensuring accountability, representation, and community participation. While progress has been made, especially in countries like Uganda, Ghana, and Tanzania, many parliaments still need to develop their capacity to effectively engage in poverty reduction strategies. Continued support and collaboration are necessary to ensure that parliaments can fulfill their role in shaping and monitoring PRSPs, ultimately contributing to more effective and equitable poverty reduction outcomes.

References

• Draham, R. and S. Langdon. 2005. PRSPs in Africa: Parliaments and Economic Policy Performance.
• Eberlei, Walter. 2001. Institutionalised Participation in Processes beyond the PRSP.
• Hubli, K. and A. Mandaville. 2004. Parliaments and the PRSP Process.
• Leautier, F. 2002. "Parliaments and Poverty. Building the Capacity to Tackle the Problems."
• Overseas Development Institute. 2001. PRSP Institutionalization Study: Final Report.
• Power, G. 2008. Donor Support to Parliaments and Political Parties.
• Sharkey, K., T. Dreger, and S. Bhatia. 2006. The Role of Legislatures in Poverty Reduction.
• World Bank. 2005. Enabling Country Capacity to Achieve Results.
• World Bank and International Monetary Fund. 2005. 2005 Review of the PRS Approach.
• World Bank Institute and Parliamentary Centre. 2001. Handbook for Parliamentarians on Policies to Reduce Poverty.

Contact Information

• Mark Nelson – Program Manager, Capacity Development Resource Center
  Tel: 202-458-8041
  E-mail: mnelson1@worldbank.org

• Ajay Tejasvi – Program Coordinator, Capacity Development Resource Center
  Tel: 202-458-4064
  E-mail: anarasimhan@worldbank.org

• Website: http://www.worldbank.org/capacity