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Decentralisation in Madagascar: A virtual process! ;

Lines of accountability: What changes with decentralization?

ACORDS: a laboratory “Food for thought”;

The reality: each set of actor runs a empty box in a authistic manner;

Tools & methods to “wake” the boxes and connected them (accountability practices);

Findings after six years of implementation; Some Principles of a support programme in

absence of a country led strategy

PROGRAMME ACORDS (MADAGASCAR)HOW TO USE PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY AS AN

ENTRY DOOR FOR SUPPORT TO LOCAL ACCOUNTABILITY PROCESS

Just un exemple, not a model!!!

EuropeAidDecentralization

Adds a new tier of Government at local level,with elected local authorities,

accountable to citizens and responsible to provide a range of public goods and

services

Three lines of accountability

Downward accountability of LG to citizens

Horizontal accountability within LG and administration

Upward accountability of LG to central Government

Formal & Informal accountability lines

Citizens can control LG primarily by linking up with political representatives mobilising

a local traditional leader (informal downwards, a councillor (formal downwards)...

Accountability & Public Service delivery

LG is embedded in broad accountability web

The functioning of local accountability is one of the factors that influences quality of

public service delivery

Understanding the complexity and interconnections!

DECENTRALISATION AND CHANGING ACCOUNTABILITY LINES

EuropeAidDECENTRALISATION IN MADAGASCAR: A

VIRTUAL PROCESS!!

POLICY1. Political decentralization: 1994:2. Deconcentration process : 2005  3. Fiscal decentralization: A nearly dead process!

Resources transferred to municipalities = 3, 5% of total public expenditure;

IN PRACTICE1. The decentralization policy offers a good framework, but its implementation is

still awaited: 2. The blockage is at central government level, where the practical implications

of the policy have yet to be understood3. A process wihout leadership; 4. Decentralization is not high on the social/national debate (radio/newspaper,

assembly)5. Sector Ministries ignore LG. 6. Donor’s practice: funding of NGO’s projects and sector policies that bypass LGs

Both Process launched in a autistic manner

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LINES OF ACCOUNTABILITY: WHAT CHANGES WITH DECENTRALIZATION IN MADAGASCAR?

Situation before 1994!

District(112)

Citizens

Deconcentrated Services of Line Ministries at Region level (Health, education, roads

and water)

Province(5)

Deconcentrated Services of Line Ministries at District level

(Health, education)

Central Government

Provide Service

Etat Civil..

Policy & Fiscal effort

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LINES OF ACCOUNTABILITY: WHAT CHANGES WITH DECENTRALIZATION IN MADAGASCAR?

Situation Between 1994 & 2005

District(112)

Citizens

Deconcentrated Services of Line Ministries at Region level (Health, education, roads

and water)

Province(5)

Deconcentrated Services of Line Ministries at District level

(Health, education)

Central Government

Basic Services(Health, education…)

Etat Civil..

Policy & Fiscal effort

Local Gov (LG)

Basic Services(Health, education…)

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LINES OF ACCOUNTABILITY: WHAT CHANGES WITH DECENTRALIZATION IN MADAGASCAR?

Situation from 2005 until 2011

District

Citizens

Local Gov (LG)

Deconcentrated Services of Line Ministries at Region level (Health, education, roads

and water)Region

(9)

Deconcentrated Services of Line Ministries at District level

(Health, education)

Central Government

Coordination

???

Planing, Implementation and managing PBS

Provide personnel Quality of Service

Institutionnel Support Control « Ex-post » of LG accounts

Technical Support

Coordination DS & LG

???????

Political account & control

Policy & Fiscal effort

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ACORDS: A LABORATORY OF DECENTRALIZATION PROCESS!

“Food for thought” about national policy on decentralization!; Entry door:

Take into account in an effective and practical way the transfer of responsibility for the provision of a range of social services (health, education, public markets, and secondary roads) from Line Ministries to LG as defined by law in the decentralization process framework.

“Learning by doing” approach Put the money at the center!

Approach adopted: We put the money in place (into the LG budget) at the outset. This approach bring about:

(i) a capacity building effect based on learning on the job (capacities will be the result of the action and not a precondition for receiving funds)

(ii) a significant or even drastic change in the role of the Implementation Unit which will have to evolve towards advising and facilitating this ‘learning by doing’ process

How to ensure direct founding of LG budget? (2003): Call of proposals. Now: Direct Grant (monopole de fait)

Rules of the game: they push to activate linkages and joint work among institutions involved in public service delivery (not had-oc support mechanism!)

PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY BECOMES A ENTRY DOOR TO WAKE-UP/BUILD THE ACCOUNTABILITY LINES

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SITUATION AT LOCAL LEVEL

A SET OF EMPTY BOXES THAT RUNS IN A AUTHISTIC MANNER!

At Local Level

Local Governments Empty boxes, with erratic behaviour operate like free electrons in an unfinished framework!!!!!! LG does not have permanent Civil Servants Staff Procurement systems not adapted to local realities; LG are not attached to the Public Treasury Administrative Courts still under construction Support & control mechanisms based on Districts are not working properly

Civil Society/Citizens Citizen in rural areas are scared of the State and see LG as something distant

There is not one single CS at local level Citizens or survivors? Tradition of community driven approaches to have access to basic services Citizen in rural areas refrain from directly scrutinising their leaders and believe one

should predominantly respect authority Parental view of local government (government takes cares of citizens rather than

citizens control government) Participatory mechanism often remains ritualistic in practice rather than enabling

accountability at the local level or improved service delivery.

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District-Region & Civil Servants (CS) of line Ministries at Local level

Deconcentrated levels fail to adapt to their new role as assistants and supervisors of the elected governments and Districts

Unclear division of task and responsibilities between national ministries, deconcentrated levels and LG

There is not overall human resource management policy of the public sector LG don’t trust Districts & CS of line ministries Civil Servants and Districts don’t know decentralization principles and its practical meaning

for them; nobody explained to them! LG-districts and Civil Servants line ministries are in the process of getting to know to each

other Support to LG: What does it mean? Coordination & Support is understood as command;

SITUATION AT LOCAL LEVEL

A SET OF EMPTY BOXES THAT RUNS IN A AUTHISTIC MANNER!

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Local Local Governements Governements

Local Local Governements Governements CitizensCitizensCitizensCitizens

Civil Servant of Civil Servant of line ministries at line ministries at

local levellocal level

Civil Servant of Civil Servant of line ministries at line ministries at

local levellocal level

Decentralization Decentralization

Public Service delivery

Public Service delivery

QualityQuality Equity Equity

Territorial Territorial Administration Administration

Territorial Territorial Administration Administration

THE QUALITY OF THE CONNECTIONS DETERMINES DE QUALITY OF PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY!

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Transparency of budget allocation and use made information

available and assure the pressence of local media Funds supporting LG include strong incentives and monitoring

mechanism to ensure

• Functioning of Accountability mechanism drawn by law;

• Procurement system  tailored to LG including participation of

citizens & Councils in local tenders ;

• Dissemination at local level of information concerning budget,

tenders, expenditures overview, subcontracts (radio one of the

most effective information channels as a result of the language used

and the high coverage rate!)

• Results of Annual audits (technical and financial) discussed in

workshops which brings together Districts, Executive, Council, and

citizens involved in Community Committee in charge of tenders

TOOLS AND METHODS TO “WAKE UP” ACOUNTABILITY PRACTICES

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WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT HOW TO IMPROVE LOCAL ACCOUNTABILITY

Answerability and controllability channels

The institutional context obliges LG to be answerable to the central State Institutional mechanism favouring downward answerability should be encouraged Need to promote state-society answerability mechanism at the local level through:

Social audits bringing together LG, CS of line ministries & community; Community dialogue platforms and radio talk shows in vernacular language;

Look at the electoral system! Local answerability is underpinned by different popular perceptions of authority

Information is the key! Explore the utilisation of Local Media; Increasing transparency and availability of key local governance documents

(budget, expenditure overview, subcontracts..) creates a strong fundament for more

effective local accountability mechanism Effective information channels Informal institutions (local assembly of elderly,

traditional authorities..), radio

FINDINGS AFTER SIX YEARS OF IMPLEMENTATION

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WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT HOW TO IMPROVE LOCAL ACCOUNTABILITY

Participation

Participation in local governance, by itself, does not necessarily strengthen accountability or service delivery;

Well intended participatory mechanism often remain ritualistic in practice rather than enabling accountability at the local level or improved service delivery;

Participatory platforms are most effective when institutionalised, conducted regularly and accessible to formal as well as informal institutions;

Central question for participation to become effective on which terms are participatory platforms set-up, who defines the agenda, which influence do actors have on final decision making and, crucially, whose voices are actually invited and heard?

Sustainability lies with Institutionalisation

The ultimate form of sustainability content or practice of a programme is institutionalised in government policy or decision-making procedures in the partner country.

SOME FINDINGS AFTER SIX YEARS OF IMPLEMENTATION

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IDENTIFICATION/FORMULATION STAGE

Encourage a public discussion on the question of WHY the decentralization process has been launched in the country;

Avoid the copying and pasting of experiences of other countries and concentrate instead rather on understanding the particular context in which these reforms toke place, why the particular solution was chosen (PE perspective!) ;

Promote an endogenous solution; Don’t leave it to the external consultants. Adopting an « open approach », be able modify the implementation strategies,

the pace and tools to made them fit to the situation on the ground The path towards the programme goals cannot be planned in advance Avoid too much detail at the formulation stage: There is no “detailed road map”. It

is a question of dealing with problems as they arise; The “conception” then is not something formulating at the outset and imposed on

the project, but is rather the contrary

STRATEGY TO IMPROVE LOCAL ACCOUNTABILITY

Explore the possibility of using “Public Service Delivery” as possible entry points for support to local accountability process

Put the money in place (into the municipal budget) at the outset to allow LG to assume in an effective and practical way the transfer of responsibility in the decentralization process :

Mechanisms assuring direct founding of municipalities should activate linkages and joint work among institutions involved in public service delivery

"GPS” OF A SUPPORT PROGRAMME IN THE ABSENCE OF A COUNTRY-LED STRATEGY FOR IMPLEMENTING

DECENTRALIZATION

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IMPLEMENTATION

Capacity building approach based on learning on the job

The starting point is the understanding of real situation at local level. This understanding is updated continuously. Tools and methods proposed fits to the real problems at the right time

PEA is doing every time!

Human relationships are at the core of the Programme’s management.

Implementing a programme is much more a question of managing human relationships than a technical one

This requires human skills, a flexible balance of proximity and distance, of trust and requirement, of latitude and discipline.

In crucial respects it is more a job for an artist than for a technician

PIU FACILITATION UNIT!

To maintain a “helicopter” like overview of every aspect of the project in order to create a “learning on the ground” environment;

To implement the program in a flexible way to respond to situations and circumstances as they evolve from day to day

To disseminate lessons from experience to local and national authorities as well as to the donors involved in the decentralization arena …

"GPS” OF A SUPPORT PROGRAMME IN THE ABSENCE OF A COUNTRY-LED STRATEGY FOR IMPLEMENTING

DECENTRALIZATION