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Political Economy of Service Delivery Some considerations about priorities Allison Beattie, DFID Policy Division. What are the key elements for transforming service delivery?. - A national settlement (equitable access to opportunity; perceived equity between/ among groups)
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Political Economy of Service DeliverySome considerations about prioritiesAllison Beattie, DFID Policy Division
What are the key elements for transforming service delivery? - A national settlement (equitable access to opportunity; perceived equity between/ among groups) • Policies that articulate how this will be achieved and sustained (political, economic, social) and arbitration • Systems (public expenditure management, banking, distribution, training, regulatory (red tape)) to deliver • Decentralised governance for decision-making and to manage/ administer/ regulate/ defend and protect • Consultation and accountability (people have to want the services) • Utilisation, trust and willingness by communities to support
Neglected Areas - Black Box Issue 1 • Political (national) settlement • Investment in political economy at macro level • Case study: Zimbabwe • Role of service delivery in consolidating settlement • Investment in making services work
Neglected Areas - Black Box Issue 2 • Decentralised governance for decision-making and to manage/ administer/ regulate/ defend and protect • Most people’s experience of authority • Most people’s identification of the value of government • Along with economic opportunity, most impact on lives • Yet – greatest likelihood for lottery effect across a country
Impact of service delivery Source: Prof David Hulme: Health and the Poorest. A presentation to DFID, June 2010 taken from Peter Davis: Poverty in time: Exploring poverty dynamics from life history interviews in Bangladesh, Centre for Economics and International Development, University of Bath, December 2006.
Neglected Areas – Black Box Issue 3 • Accountability • Who is accountable, to whom and for what? • Implications of weak accountability • Components of accountability: policy, standards, norms, administration of justice, consequences, rewards. • Loop back to citizen – state compact
Roles and Responsibilities National governments and Local authorities Service providers and Communities Donors and NGOs • Funding mechanism • Evidence about what works • Short and long term service delivery goals • Hard but essential prerequisites (infrastructure especially WatSan and roads, family planning, justice/ accountability)