Prsentation PowerPoint

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ISSUES IN AID ACCOUNTABILITY THE ROLE OF EXPERT
INFORMATION AND PUBLIC DELIBERATION
Léonard Wantchékon New York University
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Development challenges are immense and very
complex Economics lack or inefficient use of
existing resource. Policy knowledge (ref. Dufl
os speech) Politics Clientelism Policies t
hat are good for development are electorally
ineffective. Those which are bad are electoral
effective. Elite capture or lack of competition
at local level.
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Cultural up of 30 of monthly income of middl
e class families in Benin is spent on funerals.
Parents are absent three week ends out of four.
No PTA meetings, no neighborhood youth soccer.
An Afrobarometer survey show incredibly weak in
tra-group trust in many African communities.
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• But, there are also incredible success stories.
• Infrastructure, education and growth in Cote
  dIvoire in 1970s.
  
• Post civil war democracy and development in
  Mozambique
  
• High Education hotspots The Zagnanado paradox
  in Benin.
  
• Etc

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• The dangers?
• To throw money at development challenges,
• without serious knowledge of the policy
  priorities as well as institutional and cultural
  constraints.
  
• with very little coordination between agencies
  (e.g. USAID and DANIDA and education reform in
  Benin.)
  
• with massive mismanagement and virtually no
  accountability.
  
• And  capturing  local elites through
  consultancy.
  

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What can be done?

• Take advantage of advances in liberal democracy
  and improved political autonomy of civil society
  in Africa to push for institutional change that
  allows for
• more public deliberation over policy choice and
  
  
• better use of expert policy information generated
  by development agencies and academics.
  
• Why? Public deliberation informed by policy
  research can
  
• help improve civic engagement, and improve
  accountability of governments and aid agencies.
  
  
• make selection and implementation of good
  policies more likely.

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• Every African country needs a permanent and
  independent academic type institution (council of
  experts) to advise and assist political parties,
  government in designing and evaluating policies,
  in setting development priorities.
• A bit like IPCC, but different focus. A bit like
  Brookings and NBER but broader focus and mandate.
  Certainly not the Iranian Council of Experts, a
  religious council that stands above government.
• Example APED- BENIN

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Concluding Remarks

• Build local technical expertise in economics and
  management.
  
• Encourage local ownership of development agenda /
  strategy.