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Introduction
Participation has rapidly become something of a buzz-word for people and organisations engaged with PRSPs, whether internationally or at the country level. Beyond the rhetoric lie three important reasons why participation has gained such a prominent place in the PRSP approach:
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First, donors have come to acknowledge that past structural adjustment policies failed because of a lack of government commitment, or "ownership". The fact that the country is now to produce its own PRSP is meant to increase such national ownership. Participation by local civil society (CS) is expected to broaden this ownership beyond the level of the government.1,2
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Second, pro-poor outcomes are expected as a result of CS participation, on the strength of their proximity to the poor and their capacity to grasp the nature of poverty in the country and assess the impact of policies.
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Third, since governments worldwide are good at making promises but weaker in their delivery, donors are keen for CS to 'follow the money' and monitor a sustained and effective implementation of PRSPs, holding governments to account in ways that have consequences for their stay in power.
A fundamental innovation of the PRSP approach is that it challenges the traditional roles and responsibilities of main development agents - recipient governments, donors and civil society. Since the benefits of participation are not linear as many technical PRSP documents appear to suggest, there is a challenge for NGOs and all other stakeholders to capitalize on this new flexibility in roles that is emerging and ensure that the participation gamble pays off in the interests of poor people.
This paper attempts to provide an overview of NGO participation in PRSP processes to date. It concentrates on engagement in national PRS processes rather than international advocacy efforts directed at the World Bank, IMF and bilateral donors.
The term 'NGO' is used throughout to refer to development and humanitarian relief organisations and an attempt has been made to distinguish between local, national and international organisations. The term 'civil society' is used in a much broader sense that includes not only NGOs but also any indigenous civil society organisation such as trade unions, faith groups, social movements, political parties, academic and research institutes.
The paper is divided into three sections:
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The first outlines a framework for analysing NGO participation in PRS processes based on the type of organisation, available opportunities, different levels of the process and stages in the cycle of the PRSP.
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The second section applies this framework to providing an overview of NGO participation in PRS processes thus far. It includes short case studies from Vietnam, Rwanda and Bolivia.
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The final section attempts to draw some conclusions including key challenges for NGOs seeking to participate in PRSP processes into the future.
Footnotes:
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Renard, R. & Molenaers, N. (2003) "Civil Society's Participation in Rwanda's Poverty Reduction Strategy" IDPM & UA Discussion Paper http://www.eurodad.org/uploadstore/cms/docs/ParticipationinRwandaUA2003.pdf.
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Godfrey,S. and Sheehy,T. (2000) "Civil Society Participation in Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs)" Report to the Department for International Development (DfID), London http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Pubs/files/cs_prsps.pdf.
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- 152Kb ~ 1 min (22 pages)
