Human and Institutional
Capacity to Support
Strategy/Policy Design
M.T. Weber and other colleagues in
Africa & MSU Ag. Economics Food
Security Group
FS III Cooperative Agreement USAID/MSU - June
2006
Mandate 1. – What is/are:
• Role of Human & Institutional Capacity
•
•
to Support Strategy/Policy Design and
Learning?
Opportunities/Challenges for Short-Run:
Using Existing Capacity at National &
Regional Level?
Build Capacity for Longer-Run: Need to
Rapidly Build & Ensure Growth in
Numbers and Quality of Capacity?
Mandate 2. – Presenters:
• Provide Broad Overview- What we Know
• Highlight a few Key Examples
• Stress Knowledge/Information Gaps
• Stimulate Discussion of Implications for
•
CAADP Goals
Tools for Peer Review, Benchmarking,
Mutual Learning & Policy Dialogue
Role of Human &
Institutional Capacity - 1.
• All politics and policy are local, then
•
•
regional
Good local analysts, good policy handlers
& policy makers are everything
Omamo 2004 “To make policy advice more
relevant requires a better understanding not
only of how markets (mal)function, but also
what constrains implementation, how
constraints can be overcome or bypassed, and
what policy measures have greater or lesser
prospects.”
Role of Human &
Institutional Capacity - 2.
• Key National Organizations &
•
•
Individuals
– Policy & vulnerability analysis units MOA’s, other Ministries & independent
– NARI social scientists
– University researchers/student research
– National statistical organizations
Get Critical Mass and Credibility
Get More Local and Regional Assistance
Short-Run: Using Capacity at
National & Regional Level - 1.
• Finding and Supporting National Policy
•
•
Champions, Policy Handlers and
Analysts For Strategic Analysis
Help These National Individuals/Groups
Do More Mentoring/In-Service Training
Use As Much as Possible Existing African
Regional Policy Analysis Support Groups
(eg ECAPAPA, FANRPAN, SADAOC, INSAH,
REPA, UNECA/SDD)
Short-Run: Using Capacity at
National & Regional Level - 2.
• Help Country Teams/Individuals Find &
•
Use Existing Country Prodn, HH Income,
Consumer & Price Data Sets (eg Malawi *)
CAADP ReSAKSS, RECs & SAKSS SubRegional Nodes-Key Challenges: Balance
– Find key country-level support roles
– Find/complete overarching analysis that
can complement & enhance national
efforts
Short-Run: Using Capacity at
National & Regional Level - 3.
• Focus Skill Strengthening/Mentoring
– Ag. productivity analysis
– HH income drivers of income growth
– Pro-Poor Linkage strategies & how to target
and help those hh’s with few assets, edu. &
non-farm but not remove growth incentives
– Market functions and development
– Linking research and policy outreach & implementation. Include political economy
insights (eg USAID Study on Malawi. *).
Short-Run: Using Capacity at
National & Regional Level - 4.
• Use Existing Date as a Pathway to
Building Credible Arguments for
Improving Production, Marketing, Price
Data Collection (Too much measuring the wrong
things as rural economies, crop mixes change)
• Take as Much Advantage as Possible of
•
the Panel Data Sets Emerging
Collect/use information at HH level on
ag, nutrition, income, health, etc ( *)
Build Longer-Run Capacity -1.
• Assist Country-Level Experienced
•
•
•
Analysts To Mentor Young Professionals
Build Working Linkages to National
Universities
Promote Donor Funding for Graduate
Training (Both In Africa and Outside)
Cooperate with African Graduate
Training Programs (eg scholarships &
assistance during thesis research phases)
Build Longer-Run Capacity -2.
• Organize In-Service Training of Young
•
•
•
Professionals Around Major Research &
Outreach Efforts
Target Support On Key CAADP Topics
for African Thesis Research (Both
African and Non-African Training)
Assist New African Graduate Degree
Holders in Country-Level Startup
Target Links: Researcher-Statistical Org.
Build Longer-Run Capacity -3.
• Using the Internet As A Work Space
•
•
– eg Assisting Mann Library & FAO *
Using the Internet to Find and Position
Research, Outreach and Teaching
Materials
– Food Security and Food Policy Information
Portal for Africa *
– Professional Skill Building Resources *
Use Librarians As Resource Locators *