Approaches to Improving the Delivery of Social Services in Difficult ...
Approaches to Improving the Delivery of Social Services in Difficult ...
Approaches to Improving the Delivery of Social Services in Difficult ...
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<strong>Approaches</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>Improv<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Delivery</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Social</strong> <strong>Services</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Difficult</strong> Environmentscoord<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g aid efforts <strong>in</strong> certa<strong>in</strong> difficult environments. There aredrawbacks <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong>se <strong>in</strong>terventions <strong>in</strong> certa<strong>in</strong> contexts, for <strong>in</strong>stance where<strong>the</strong> World Bank is seen <strong>to</strong> represent ‘external <strong>in</strong>terests’ or where <strong>the</strong> UNagencies are <strong>in</strong>efficient 35 or do not have enough experience on <strong>the</strong> ground<strong>to</strong> fulfil <strong>the</strong> role <strong>of</strong> policy coord<strong>in</strong>a<strong>to</strong>rs. Effective coord<strong>in</strong>ation may also beunderm<strong>in</strong>ed by <strong>the</strong> motivations <strong>of</strong> different agencies, and <strong>the</strong> lack <strong>of</strong> ‘teeth’<strong>in</strong> coord<strong>in</strong>ation mechanisms <strong>to</strong> ensure that all agencies participate 36 .34. Reduce <strong>the</strong> risk <strong>of</strong> underm<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> state. Where possible, even ifalternative mechanisms are used, relationships with <strong>the</strong> government andwith state structures should be ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> order <strong>to</strong> facilitate possiblehandover back <strong>to</strong> full state oversight. O<strong>the</strong>rwise <strong>the</strong>re is a danger <strong>of</strong>creat<strong>in</strong>g completely parallel structures that underm<strong>in</strong>e <strong>the</strong> state’s ultimateresponsibility for service delivery. <strong>Social</strong> funds, for example have beencriticised on <strong>the</strong> grounds that <strong>the</strong>y sometimes fail <strong>to</strong> build local and centralgovernment capacity and <strong>the</strong>y may have poor coord<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> target<strong>in</strong>g<strong>of</strong> service delivery <strong>in</strong>terventions 37 . The risk <strong>of</strong> underm<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> state can bereduced by align<strong>in</strong>g donors systems with government f<strong>in</strong>ancial systems(for example keep<strong>in</strong>g expenditure ‘on budget’ and <strong>in</strong> accordance withgovernment f<strong>in</strong>ancial cycles), by shar<strong>in</strong>g a common policy framework asfar as possible, and by not unnecessarily weaken<strong>in</strong>g state capacity thoughdraw<strong>in</strong>g away key human resources.IV.2 Build<strong>in</strong>g capacity <strong>of</strong> service providers35. Service providers <strong>in</strong>clude organisational providers (health departments,education departments, water and sanitation departments), frontl<strong>in</strong>epr<strong>of</strong>essionals (doc<strong>to</strong>rs, nurses, teachers, eng<strong>in</strong>eers) and <strong>the</strong> organisationsthat support <strong>the</strong>se pr<strong>of</strong>essionals (tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g colleges, for example). In difficultenvironments, <strong>the</strong> capacity <strong>of</strong> providers may be weak <strong>in</strong> terms <strong>of</strong><strong>in</strong>frastructure, human and f<strong>in</strong>ancial resources, and responsiveness <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong>poor.36. Build capacity <strong>of</strong> state providers: <strong>in</strong> situations where <strong>the</strong>re is somewill<strong>in</strong>gness and capacity, state providers should be considered as an entrypo<strong>in</strong>t for streng<strong>the</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g service delivery. This is for two reasons. First, itcan be an effective way <strong>of</strong> build<strong>in</strong>g state accountability for public services,and second it is less likely <strong>to</strong> underm<strong>in</strong>e an already fragile state (seecomments above). The key challenge is <strong>to</strong> work with <strong>the</strong> state <strong>to</strong> f<strong>in</strong>d ways<strong>to</strong> make limited human and f<strong>in</strong>ancial resources extend <strong>the</strong> reach <strong>of</strong>services <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> poor.37. Many countries, particularly across sub-Saharan Africa, are fac<strong>in</strong>g agrow<strong>in</strong>g crisis <strong>of</strong> human resource capacity, which is significantly impact<strong>in</strong>gon <strong>the</strong>ir ability <strong>to</strong> deliver vital public services. The problem is particularlystark <strong>in</strong> difficult environments where, for example, conflict may exacerbateoverall shortages <strong>of</strong> personnel, teachers and health personnel may be35 Jones, B. (2004).36 Sommers, M. (2004)37 Rawl<strong>in</strong>gs, L., Sherburne-Benz, L., Van Domelen, J. (2004).This work<strong>in</strong>g paper is <strong>in</strong>tended <strong>to</strong> stimulate public discussion. It is not necessarily DFID orUK Government policy18