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