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.
Tools for Development : Public Sector Governance Reform

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2004-05) Wilhelm, Vera A. ; Kushnarova, Inna

This CE Brief proposes the Public Sector Governance Reform Cycle framework to help Bank staff and clients identify tools and techniques to assess and strengthen capacity in the public sector. A number of lessons and challenges have emerged: Tools relying on large sets of microdata benefit from both quantitative and qualitative data. Highly aggregated data are useful for cross-country comparisons and awareness raising, while design of sector-specific reform programs requires specific and disaggregated data. Employing a wide range of data sources and tools and triangulating results can greatly enhance reform programs, whereas quality control will enhance credibility of results. The degree of impact on policy debate and capacity building depends on client demand, openness, participation, and transparency. It is important to move beyond governance diagnostics to implement reforms and measure progress against poverty reduction targets.
Public Financial Accountability in Pakistan : The Impact of PIFRA on Capacity

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2004-04) Ceesay, Ismaila B.

This paper highlights the capacity enhancement support provided under the World Bank-financed Pakistan Improvement of Financial Reporting and Auditing (PIFRA) project and six lessons learned to be considered in designing similar projects: (a) address capacity constraints at every level, that is, individual, organizational, and institutional, (b) avoid addressing an entire large country in one project, (c) avoid introducing state-of-the art technology in an environment of largely unskilled professionals, (d) avoid too many project components, (e) ensure ownership and commitment by the project agency, and (f) ensure collaboration among donors.
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.
Nurturing Capacity in Developing Countries : From Consensus to Practice

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2003-11) Nair, Govindan G.

There is an emerging consensus that capacity building in developing countries must shift from supply-side, donor-driven to demand-led approaches. Three areas in which this is critical are evaluation capacity, the availability of skilled individuals, and aid management. An effective demand-led approach requires fostering a transparent evaluation culture, focused on poverty impacts and involving participatory approaches. The approach to skilled resources must move from skills acquisition to the retention and use of skills, using the resources of the diaspora, tackling incentives and addressing issues that discourage retention of skills.