The Girl-Child and Government Service Provision.pdf - Tanzania ...

World Development Report 2004and Girl-Child Service ProvisionHaidy Ear-Dupuy / WVIIntroductionThe urgency of meeting the needs of the poor has neverbeen clearer as international financial institutions (IFIs) suchas the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund(IMF) renewed their commitment to meeting the MillenniumDevelopment Goals (MDGs) and to work towardspro-poor policies at the September 2003 annual meeting.At the release of the World Development Report 2004(WDR 2004) the World Bank made a clear stand for reforminginstitutions and changing the power structure andoffering more choices in order to provide better servicesfor the poor. This analysis of the WDR 2004 examines theBank’s commitment to improving services and askswhether or not the WDR 2004’s proposal for change wouldmeet the needs of one of the poorest group of people inthe world, the girl-child. Though it can be argued that allchildren in the developing countries can be categorized asthe poorest, the girl-child is highlighted here because of acommon understanding that in working to overcome barriersthat would hinder the most disadvantaged group ofall (girls) it would help us to leverage the situation to reducebarriers for all other disadvantaged groups.Focusing on this traditionally most disadvantaged groupenables us to highlight other sectors of society that alsofall in the same vulnerable category. In general, women andchildren have been under-served, particularly in developingcountries. The World Bank, primarily a financial institutionwith strong economic focus, tends to seek investmentopportunities based on the ability of the group or sectorto yield the most economic returns. However, criticismsfrom civil society organisations (CSOs) (ranging from sector-specificNGOs to trade and religious groups) in thelast two decades have led the Bank to expand its investmentin social development projects. In working towardsfulfilling its commitment to the MDGs, the Bank has legaland formal engagements with client countries’ governmentsas well as less formal ties to CSOs and the privatesector. The relationship between the Bank and its variousstakeholders is just as complex as the development issuesthat it seeks to tackle on the global scale. 1 Searching forways to help the poor meet their basic needs and countriesto expand their economies through increasing theirGross National Product (GNP) can be quite challenging,especially in an environment of less financing for development.The Bank turns to the private sector to fill the financinggap that is left by rich countries not contributingto their allotted share (0.7 per cent) of their GNP to developmentaid. 2How the Bank perceives that services can be delivered tothe poor in the most effective and efficient manners, especiallythrough involving the private sector, is present inthe WDR 2004. The in-depth discussion of power relationsamong the poor, the service providers and the governmentprovides insight into the Bank’s ultimate plan to reducethe role of governments in providing public servicesand to focus instead on privatizing basic services such aseducation, health, and provision of basic amenities such aselectricity, water and sanitation.Throughout the chapters of the WDR 2004 the Bank consistentlypresents examples of successful private-sectorprovision of basic services. Arguments proposed by theWDR 2004 for the liberalization of public services are presentedas empowering the poor and freeing governmentsfrom the burden of managing public institutions. The rangeof options for the poor, as well as the governments, appearsendless; many creative solutions, private or public ora combination of the two, are highlighted. The WDR 2004focuses on offering choices for the poor and choices forHaidy Ear-Dupuy is Policy Advisor on Global Economics for the International Policy and Advocacy Group of World Vision International.The Girl-Child and Government Service Provision 79