Designing a
Sector Governance Approach
for the M&E unit of the
Governance Commission Liberia
Presentation of the draft version to
the Governance Commission
11 September 2012
Content of presentation
1. Global trends in Governance Assessments
2. Strategic considerations for doing a GA in Liberia
3. Present the draft Sector Governance Approach
4. Indicative Planning
5. Draft lay out Annual Governance Report
What has the M&E unit done so far
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Designed a general M&E framework
Established partnerships with UNDP/USAID
Decided to go for a sectoral approach
Initial contact with relevant ministries
Team operational
Recent trends in Governance Assessments
(1) from technical to political economy aspects
(2) from global to country level
(3) from numerical indicators to narrative trajectories
(4) from quantitative to qualitative methods
(5) from top-down to bottom-up approaches including multistakeholders
(6) from supply to include demand side response
(7) From effectiveness only to include legitimacy of policy action
Oslo principles for Governance Assessments
Promote country ownership of governance
processes and assessments
Strengthen the ability of people to hold their
government to account
Apply a rights-based approach
How integrated in GA of GC
GC is leading in the design of a Liberia
specific Governance Assessment
Evidence based and in public domain.
CSC empowers people to ask questions
Integrated in Community Scorecard
Strengthen governments’ capability to be
responsive
Strengthen accountability across
government
Promote and protect space for citizens and
civil society organizations to participate
Commit to transparency and access to
information
Encourage a culture of evidence-based
policy-making
Embed the governance assessment in
political realities
Align with national development priorities
and political vision
Support democratic governance
assessments at the local level
GA provides better information on
citizen’s needs
GA helps to compare sectors
championing and peering
CSOs will be on the proposed Advisory
Boards to the M&E unit, included in CSC
Transparency integrated in the principles,
the GA reports will be public
Data poor setting but will gradually
improve, perception is also evidence
Involve sector ministries in the design of
Sector GA
Tuned to PRS 2 objectives and ministries
can integrate results in their Annual Plans
Community Score Card
Objective of a Sectoral Governance Assessment:
The Sector Ministry and Min Planning and Economic Affairs
monitor what the Ministry has achieved in terms of input, output
and outcome against predefined plans and targets as formulated
in the mandate of the ministry, the PRS 2 and its annual plans.
The Governance Commission assesses whether the way in which
the Ministry uses its powers given by the citizens is in accordance
with basic principles of good governance.
A Governance Assessment looks at the process of managing
public affairs and service delivery. Its focus is therefore on how
and why the various ministries have (or have not) achieved what
they had planned to do.
Objective of a Sectoral Governance Assessment:
To measure the present quality of governance in a sector: Is the
Ministry using its powers given by the citizens in accordance with
the principles of good governance? With the objective:
•To indentify systemic gaps in governance that require
improvement  policy advise
•To establish a baseline against which we can monitor future
improvement
•To enhance the awareness about the importance of good
governance and the internal capacity to enhance it
•To compare sector performance and to identify champions and
establish peer relations between sector ministries
•To improve the transparency and social accountability of the GoL
by making these reports public
Strategic considerations guiding the design of the GA approach for Liberia:
1. Good enough governance using Appreciative Enquiry
 Start from where the sector stands and not from where it should be
2. Assessment will identify systemic weaknesses but not address individual
cases of mismanagement
3. GA process should be inclusive to enhance ownership and legitimacy, but
also efficient  Advisory Board
4. Governance in ministries will only improve if there is external pressure to do
so  Address supply and demand side of governance
5. GA will assess and build governance capacity (raising awareness).
6. Use indexing methodology  able to compare sector ministries and
progress over time
Actual Governance Assessment Approach
3 service providing Ministries:
 Ministry of Education
 Ministry of Health
 Ministry of Agriculture
Two pronged approach. Why:
- Triangulation of findings  improves validity
- Gain insight in demand and supply side of governance
- Stimulates a mind shift towards responsiveness and social
accountability
Actual Governance Assessment Approach
1. Community Score Card:
In order to include in the assessment the voice of
citizens we will solicit the feedback from ordinary
citizens on government performance in service
delivery and governance .
Interview groups of 20-30 citizens and front line
service providers in 100-150 communities spread
over Liberia.
Actual Governance Assessment Approach
2. Sectoral Governance Assessment
a.
Context analysis (drivers & constraints for Good Governance)
b.
Actor and relationship mapping
c.
Stakeholder group meetings + questionnaire
d.
Ministerial good governance conference:
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
Present findings from CSC
Present results from Stakeholder groups and questionnaire
Discuss and prioritize governance issues for action
Draft an Governance improvement action plan
Overall governance index Ministry of Agriculture Liberia
100
80
70
63
60
55
51
35
40
32
20
0
Governance index Parliamentarians
Civil Society Org.
Academia
Ministerial staff
front line service
providers
Scores on governance principles Ministry of Agriculture
100
80
60
45
40
40
33
25
20
20
0
Effectiveness & Transparency
Efficiency
and rule of law
Accountability
Participation
Equity
Comparing scores of Min of Health, Education and Agriculture
100
80
60
40
20
0
overall score Effectivess & Transparence Accountability Participation
Efficiency & Rule of Law
Min. of Education
Min. of Health
Min of Agriculture
Equity
Indicative Planning:
October 2012
Assessment methodology and lounged by the President
October-Dec
Community Scorecard exercises
January 2013
Interviews of ministerial stakeholder groups at national level
February
3 Ministerial conferences
March
Draft conclusions to the Ministries for AP 2013/2014
May
Draft report ready for discussion and review by each Minister
July
Presentation of final reports to the President
August
Abstract of report in Annual Governance Report of GC
Proposed lay out of Annual Governance Report
Foreword by the President of Liberia
Acknowledgement by the Chairperson of the GC
1.
Introduction
1.1 The establishment of the GC (how, why and when was it established)
1.2 Mandate and functions of the GC (popular version)
1.3 Organisation and structure of the GC
1.4 Staff composition of the GC in 2012/2013
2.
The state of Governance in Liberia 2013
Contextual analysis: what are the drivers and constraints of good governance in Liberia.
3.
Progress report of the GC
Achievements of CG in 2012/13 in relation to its mandate and annual plan (summary)
3.1 General policy advice
3.2 M&E unit
3.3 National Integrity
3.4 Decentralisation
3.5 Civic engagement
3.6 Public Sector Reform
Proposed lay out of Annual Governance Report cont.
4.
Ministerial Governance Performance reports (to be expanded every year).
4.1 The state of Governance in the Ministry of Education (abstract of report)
4.2 The state of Governance in the Ministry of Health (abstract of report)
4.3 The state of Governance in the Ministry of Agriculture (abstract of report)
4.4 Comparison of ministerial governance performance on major principles of governance
In subsequent years progress reports of the previously assessed Ministries will be included
5. Conclusions and general recommendations of the GC
6. Future plans of the GC
Annexes:
Full ministerial governance reports
An uneducated man can be dominated
just with bread and water.
The educated man does not want this;
he wants citizenship.
Democracy has gained a moral victory, but the problem
is the efficiency of democratic rule; it has to serve the
people better than any other system.
If not, in the long run it will lose.
Thank you