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Key Text Institutions and Service Delivery in Asia

Author: A Joshi
Date: 2006
Size: 20 pages (183 KB)

Summary

This article published by the Institute of Development Studies argues that institutional problems constitute the main barriers to the reform of basic services in Asia. Increased efforts are needed to improve access, quality and sustainability, and to promote citizen engagement in the delivery of basic services. Moreover, effective and responsive service delivery can also lead to governance dividends by reinforcing citizen’s confidence in public authority.

Over the past few decades, there has been a major shift in global thinking about the delivery of basic services. The traditional assumption of direct state provision has gradually given way to new trends based on a more pluralistic vision of service delivery through a variety of non-profit or market-based actors, the increased participation of user groups, the decentralisation of services and a focus on improving incentives for providers.

There are serious challenges facing the delivery of basic services in South and South-east Asia, particularly in relation to access, quality, affordability and sustainability. However, some promising initiatives are being undertaken. These include:

Improving existing government provision by establishing incentives to improve quality and to target different users. This combines both demand-led approaches that channel resources directly to households or third party institutions and supply-led approaches that focus on access to government services.
Decentralisation, which involves the devolution of resources, responsibility and authority for basic services to local administrative structures (known as deconcentration) or the full devolution of control of state institutions by democratically elected local bodies (known as democratic decentralisation).
Pluralisation of service providers, which has led to shift away from the exclusive involvement of the state and to a variety of new arrangements in which NGOs and private sector providers play a stronger role.
Institutionalising user participation through user committees for the local management of resources and the creation of formal policy councils that offer legitimate spaces for direct involvement in policy-making and service delivery.

Effective and responsive service delivery can also be an entry point towards building effective states. Credibility, legitimacy and effectiveness that is built through the effective delivery of services may encourage citizens to re-engage with the state and can lead to a virtuous cycle of engagement and accountability in the broader political sphere. Drawing from the recent experience in many Asian countries, possible entry points for further government action include:

Improving existing services by focusing strategically on quality improvements through both supply and demand-side approaches and negotiating reforms in an inclusive manner to prevent active opposition that can derail reform efforts.
Working with diverse partners by recognising, engaging with and supporting the broad range of providers in the area of health, education, water and sanitation. Develop capacities to ensure the accountability of non-state providers.
Regulating the non-state sector by establishing minimum standards to ensure that poor communities receive adequate services. Competition among providers does not necessarily guarantee quality and may facilitate a race to the bottom.
Tackling the social exclusion of particular groups from basic services by dealing with underlying constraints such as institutional bias. Incentives should be offered to providers that serve target populations.
Empowering poor citizens to make collective demands for improvements in public service delivery. Support citizen engagement through the creation of institutionalised spaces for direct participation or through support for rights-based approaches.
Creating institutional structures that build common interests between poor populations and better-off communities. These types of structures are more likely to lead to quality improvements in basic services that are sustainable in the long-term.

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Source: Joshi, A., 2006, 'Institutions and Service Delivery in Asia', Paper presented at Asia 2015, March 2006, Overseas Development Institute, London