Publication: Poverty Reduction Support Credits : An Evaluation of World Bank Support
Date
2009-11
ISSN
Published
2009-11
Author(s)
World Bank
Abstract
Poverty Reduction Support Credits
(PRSCs) were intended to help countries implement
comprehensive, country-owned development strategies to
promote growth, improve social conditions, and reduce
poverty. PRSCs were intended to ease conditionality, make
annual flows to recipient countries predictable and
integrated with their budgets, strengthen domestic budget
processes, provide a framework for donor harmonization, and
focus on achieving results. In terms of process, PRSCs have
worked well. Findings show that they incorporated many
envisaged changes in design and implementation. These
include stronger country ownership, eased conditionality,
and a shift of focus towards public sector management and
pro-poor service delivery. PRSCs balanced tensions between
predictability and program credibility. Although PRSCs
differed from preceding adjustment loans, development policy
lending today has converged towards a similar design. PRSCs
today are subject to the same guidelines as other
Development Policy Loans (DPLs). Differences remain in
practice in terms of the association with PRSPs, broad
scope, programmatic nature, and country performance. The
evaluation recommends either that PRSCs be phased out as a
separate brand name or that these differences be clearly
spelled out.
Citation
“World Bank. 2009. Poverty Reduction Support Credits : An Evaluation of World Bank Support. IEG Fast Track Brief. © Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/438d34e3-2b3e-551b-8f53-355922785b48 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”