Capacity Enhancement Briefs

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Why Process is Important for Capacity Enhancement : The Case of Ceara

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2004-09) Steward, Connie

Attention to process is key to capacity enhancement. The Brazilian state of Ceará, with the assistance of the World Bank, applied the accelerating results together (ART) methodology to develop and implement poverty reduction plans using cross-functional and cross-organizational teams. In this case, three teams jointly led by state secretaries and Bank leaders focused on reducing infant mortality rates, improving primary education, and maximizing income opportunities for the poor. Participants credited results to the focus on process, which merged learning with work. Other important elements were stakeholder involvement, government ownership, high-level leadership, and locally supported Bank participation.
Parliamentary Strengthening : The Case of Ghana

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2004-06) Stapenhurst, Frederick C.

This paper examines the World Bank Institute's (WBI's) first multiyear capacity enhancement program in the field of parliamentary strengthening. Seven lessons have emerged: (a) strong domestic political support is necessary, (b) parliamentary strengthening activities should complement broader governance reform efforts, (c) training activities should be integrated into broader parliamentary capacity-building initiatives, (d) training activities need to reflect the evolving parliamentary agenda, (e) a nonpartisan approach is essential, (f) activities must connect with the administrative structure of parliament, and (g) parliamentary committees benefit enormously from direct interface with international organizations, among others, the World Bank and Parliamentary Centre.
Building Capacity in Post-Conflict Countries

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2004-03) McKechnie, Alastair J.

This brief looks at the challenge of building capacity in post-conflict countries, reviews options for creating capacity, and identifies trade-offs between a rapid result and longer-term impacts of capacity strategies. Six lessons for more sustainable approaches to capacity building are identified: (a) leadership matters, (b) incentives also matter, (c) build on what exists, (d) arrange learning activities within a country wherever possible, (e) training needs to be defined in its strategic capacity, and (f) training should build on the comparative advantage of international partners.
WBI-China Health Sector Partnership : Fourteen Years and Growing

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2004-02) Yang, Chialing ; Shanlian, Hu ; Yazbeck, Abdo S.

Structural transformation of China's economy in the 1980s and its impact on the health sector created a critical need for skills and research capacity in health economics and financing. In 1989 the Government of China (GOC) enlisted the World Bank Institute (WBI) to work with China's Ministry of Health (MOH) to organize senior policy seminars addressing emerging health issues and to establish a network of institutions to train academic faculty and government officials. In 1991 GOC launched the China Health Economics Network, which in fourteen years has expanded membership from seven to nineteen institutions, offered health sector courses, and led to the training of more than 2,100 executives and trainers. Network research and senior policy seminars have supported critical government policy decisions. Replication of this successful network model is possible in large countries.
Monitoring and Evaluation for Results : Lessons from Uganda

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2004-01) Hauge, Arild O. ; Mackay, Keith

Recent experience with monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in Uganda has shown how M&E can be developed to contribute to national capacity building, rather than become a demanding, but unproductive data collection exercise. Symptoms of M&E overload have been addressed by assigning coordination responsibility to the Office of the Prime Minister. Prospects are now improving for aligning M&E capacity with strengthening cost-effectiveness and achievement of value for money in service delivery.
Capacity Enhancement at the Institutional Level : Three Case Studies in Telecommunications

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2003-12) Wilhelm, Vera ; Mueller, Susanne D.

How can the Bank or other development agencies more effectively support capacity enhancement (CE) in client countries? Is there a more systematic way to design and track capacity enhancement activities? Experience in telecom reform in Mali, Mauritania, and Morocco provides insights into the different opportunities and constraints that different countries face in implementing very similar reforms. It forms the basis for proposing a three-way framework for analyzing needs and planning capacity enhancement assistance.