Networks of Public Accounts Committees:

Approaches to Capacity Building

Mitchell O’BrienGovernance Specialist

Team Lead – Parliamentary Strengthening Program World Bank

What is a Parliamentary Network?o Parliamentary Network = Formal associations of parliamentary institutions

characterized by a set of relationships, personal interactions, and connections among participants.

o There is an emphasis on information flow and helpful linkages. o A Parliamentary Network is the term used in the parliamentary community to describe

what, in other fields, are called Communities of Practice (CoP) or learning networks.

Parliament is a practice, not a science o Learning networks made up of a community of practitioners are able to collect both

tacit (informal) and explicit (formal) knowledge from individual experts from diverse sources and from, potentially, remote locations, in order to benefit the learning community.

NAPAC is a Community of Practitionerso The parliamentary community has embraced this approach as it facilitates PACs from

multiple jurisdictions learning from each other.

Outline1. Common Design Features of Networks2. Examples of Capacity Building Techniques3. Discussion 4. Working Groups

Recurring Qualities/ Design Features of Successful

Learning Networks

Common Design Features

There are recurring qualities/ design features that can be grouped around the following attributes: Size (number of members) Purpose or objective (achievement of a mutual goal) Degree of formality (informal ↔ formal) Level of members’ commitment Leadership (the degree of sustained leadership by members, for

instance if the CoP is based on distributed leadership in which multiple core members serve as leaders)

Self-organizing vs. sponsored

Moving from Inception to Implementation

What does NAPAC do now?

How does NAPAC do it?

Examples of Capacity Building techniques used by other PAC Networks

Capacity Building Techniques-A Institutional and organizational support to network secretariats to assist them

in stewarding learning networks and communitiesExamples:o Network working groups focused on specific topics, or network

organizational issues such as communication strategies/ operational elements (ARAPAC)

o TA to network Secretariat to enhance know-how on using social learning methods in Network activities

South-South & South-North Exchange - Learning between networks Examples:o NAPAC and other PAC networkso NAPAC and other national, regional, or global networks such as

AFROSAI Knowledge exchange activities within the network guided through a

membership mappingExamples:o Bringing together NAPAC champions and PACs that have identified a

similar capacity constraint

Capacity Building Techniques - B Peer exchange/assist

Examples:o EAAPAC Pilot Peer Assist for South Sudano SADCOPAC Clerk Attachment process

Structured learning around technical areas in order to enhance operational effectiveness

Examples:o Targeted training for Clerks at the end of larger network gatherings

Integrating networking and community strengthening elements as part of traditional knowledge exchange and structured learning activities

Examples:o Surfacing common topics of interest/ concern during knowledge

exchange activities; and helping to design community learning responses to build and share experience (Good practice development process)

Capacity Building Techniques - C Action-orientated planning/ Value creation

Examples: o Convening PAC Members, Committee Clerks and

other parliamentary institutions, to collaboratively develop approaches to performance challenges

Participatory knowledge capture techniques Examples:

o Using Wikispaces during knowledge exchange and structured training activities, to create a shared memory and understanding as to technical content and experience shared.

Discussion?