InterAmerican Development Bank Sustainable Development Department State, Governance and Civil Societ

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Inter-American Development BankSustainable
Development DepartmentState, Governance and
Civil Society Division

• IDB Support for Modernization of the
  State and Citizen Participation

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Conceptual Framework

• Current approach to development institutions
  matter and politics matter. A direct
  relationship exists between
• Sustainability and quality of growth, and
• Quality of government
• LAC new model of development
• - The State has been resized and transformed in
  terms of its activities and relationships with
  the market (first and second generation reforms).

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• Democracy as a means AND end of development.
• Change in the relationships between State and
  civil society, State and private sector, and
  among the three branches of the State.
• Thus, the IDB began in 1994 to work under a more
  integrated mandate and perspective on development
  that seeks to consolidate economic reforms, but
  also
• - promotes socioeconomic integration,
• - seeks to make the State more effective, and
• - aims to strengthen democratic institutions and
  civil society.

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• Overview of projects to date (their form and
  content is evolving)

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• Executive Branch
• Strengthen overall financial administration of
  the State.
• Improve formulation and implementation of public
  policies (macroeconomic management, poverty
  alleviation, public investment).
• Promote a professional civil service.

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• Strengthen institutional and regulatory capacity
  for oversight and control of public service and
  private sector activity.
• Build capacity in targeted agencies.
• Improve decentralization processes.
• Increase transparency, decrease corruption.
• Promote civic education and citizen participation
  and oversight.

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• The Legislative Branch
• Train parliamentary groups and leaders in
  technical and political skills.
• Establish technical advisory services and
  systems.
• Set up modern information systems.
• Develop channels for dialogue with citizens.
• Implement methods to better control the quality
  of legislative work.

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• The Justice System
• The IDB works broadly across civil and criminal
  justice system (from commercial law to
  rehabilitation of inmates, and everything in
  between)
• Improve laws and make law-writing more
  participatory.
• Broaden and deepen access to justice especially
  for marginalized groups such as the poor, women,
  indigenous populations.
• Strengthen justice institutions courts,
  prosecutors, police, public defenders, legal aid
  providers, probation offices, prison management,
  rehabiliation programs, civil society
  organizations.

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• Promote legal education programs for the general
  public, and public participation in and oversight
  of justice institutions.
• Establish alternative conflict-resolution
  methods.
• Modernize information systems and physical
  infrastructure.
• Prevent violence and improve public safety.

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• Civil Society
• Promote a legal framework that supports the
  involvement of all citizens (in the economy and
  in the political process).
• Identify new ways of delivering social services.
• Promote pholanthropy and volunteerism.
• Establish financial and technical support
  mechanisms that give a more vital economic role
  to the more vulnerable sectors of society.

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Operational Challenges

• The need for an integrated approach to
  institutional development, including
  consideration of political, economical and social
  factors that affect the needs and possibilities
  of reform.
• The need to be selective in the identification
  and design of particular operations so that
  institutional development can be sustainable in
  the long term.
• The need to develop criteria to combine and
  sequence various types of Bank instruments and
  mechanisms at the country level in order to
  maximize their joint contribution to the
  countrys efforts.
• The nee

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• The need to learn quickly from Bank and other
  national and international experiences in the
  preparation and execution of operations.
• The importance of considering the differences
  among countries in selecting, designing and
  implementing operations, so that they are well
  suited to their specific problems, priorities and
  institutional settings.

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Current debates and open issues (or, why this is
fun and significant work).

• There are voices questioning whether the role of
  MDBs in supporting equitable, sustainable
  development helpful or hurtful - governance work
  is at the heart of this debate.
• Should the IDB be working in governance?
• Can we measure anything (especially impact)?