24.07.2014 Views

Public Financial Management for PRSP - Deutsches Institut für ...

Public Financial Management for PRSP - Deutsches Institut für ...

Public Financial Management for PRSP - Deutsches Institut für ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

<strong>Public</strong> <strong>Financial</strong> <strong>Management</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>PRSP</strong> Implementation in Malawi<br />

should there<strong>for</strong>e rely more on domestic procurement in order to allow local<br />

authorities to acquire equipment and technologies that are locally available.<br />

Reduced salary gap between the public sector and private entities or<br />

donor organisations <strong>for</strong> middle-level staff<br />

High staff turnover in Malawian government and oversight institutions both<br />

at central and local level is an important factor that hampers the PFM process.<br />

This is partly due to relatively low salaries <strong>for</strong> middle-level staff. There<strong>for</strong>e,<br />

it is important to reduce the salary gap between the public sector and employees<br />

working <strong>for</strong> the private sector or donor organisations in order to attract<br />

and retain qualified employees in the public sector. The GoM should continue<br />

to implement the Civil Service Pay and Employment Re<strong>for</strong>m to render middle-level<br />

positions in public institutions more attractive <strong>for</strong> qualified personnel.<br />

Reduced payment of allowances and their trans<strong>for</strong>mation into a fixed<br />

component of civil servants´ salaries<br />

The payment of allowances <strong>for</strong> the attendance of workshops and meetings is<br />

a common way to top up salaries in Malawi’s civil service. Allowances were<br />

initially intended to improve the per<strong>for</strong>mance of civil servants, but in fact this<br />

system creates perverse incentives and delivers an opaque salary scheme.<br />

There<strong>for</strong>e, the government should consider raising salaries by fixed sums and<br />

in exchange reducing allowances to a refund of the actual cost of transport<br />

and catering. Donors should support this policy and avoid creating adverse<br />

incentives by paying high allowances <strong>for</strong> workshop attendance.<br />

Better incentives <strong>for</strong> civil servants to work in remote areas<br />

The GoM faces serious difficulties to attract qualified staff <strong>for</strong> jobs in remote<br />

districts, where living and working conditions are poor. There<strong>for</strong>e, it is necessary<br />

to create more and better incentives <strong>for</strong> civil servants to work in these<br />

districts (e.g. salary top-up <strong>for</strong> remote areas or other compensatory measures)<br />

in order to compensate <strong>for</strong> less attractive living conditions.<br />

German Development <strong>Institut</strong>e 147

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!