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Civil Society's Perspective on their Involvement in PRSP Monitoring: Assessing Constraints and Potentials in Nicaragua

Author: T Braunschweig and B Stockli
Date: 2006
Size: 53 pages (332 KB)

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Summary

What are the constraints and potentials facing civil society participation in Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) monitoring processes in Nicaragua? This Alliance Sud study reports on an ongoing initiative to develop an analytical tool to assess civil society’s participation in PRS monitoring processes from their own perspective. It finds that basic conditions for a significant role for civil society organisations (CSOs) in the monitoring system in Nicaragua are not met.

Monitoring processes are central to the success of the PRS initiative. Civil society participation adds value to the process by providing input from deprived groups, increasing government accountability, strengthening ownership and broadening monitoring approaches. Flawed monitoring systems in most countries result in the potential contributions of CSOs being under-exploited. In Nicaragua, the credibility of the PRS process has been undermined by the perception that is was externally imposed. Lack of ownership and the failure of the government to genuinely incorporate CSOs in to related policy development have weakened their commitment to the PRS and its monitoring.

The lack of a culture of accountability in Nicaragua, low quality and inaccessible public information and range of broader factors relating to the political and social situation contribute to the limited monitoring role of CSOs. Key challenges include:

• Whilst there are many mechanisms for participation, CSOs perceive them to lack orientation and impact. Without effective means of pressure, CSOs have limited negotiating capacity with the government.
• Participatory monitoring exercises are hampered by people’s general unfamiliarity with the concept of accountability and lack of requisite capacity or information.
• The government’s failure to strive for a national consensus on poverty-reducing policies and lack of serious engagement with civil society is causing frustration and growing disinterest in the PRS monitoring process amongst CSOs.
• CSOs lack common strategies and sufficient collaborative links, weakening their ability to develop effective proposals and influence the monitoring process and policy at national level.
• Donors’ funding bias towards and proximity to the government has debilitating effects on civil society’s monitoring role. Support for CSOs is relatively limited and project-based, with competition between CSOs for funding undermining joint monitoring activities.

The focus for strengthening CSOs’ monitoring role is on initiating and fostering processes that contribute to overcoming prevailing conditions in the long-term, rather than supporting specific monitoring activities. This draws on the potentials of CSOs - particularly at local level - and key fields of activity:

• CSOs have the capacity to strengthen human development at the local level to enhance participation in PRS monitoring in the long-term. Awareness raising and empowerment through the dissemination of information and engagement in the formulation and monitoring of local policies can contribute to building interest and ownership in the PRS.
• Investing in the research and analytical capacity of CSOs would increase their credibility as political actors and improve the effectiveness of lobbying and advocacy work.
• Effective contributions to the development of public policies would be improved through building on existing collaborative arrangements among CSOs, including umbrella organisations and networks.
• Recommendations to enhance donor assistance to CSOs include improving coordination through multi-donor funding and increased, and long-term core support to enable strengthening of institutional and government oversight capacities.

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Source: T Braunschweig and B Stockli, 2006, 'Civil Society's Perspective on their Involvement in PRSP Monitoring: Assessing Constraints and Potentials in Nicaragua', Swiss Alliance of Development Organisations (Alliance Sud), Bern
Author: Swiss Alliance of Development Organisations, http://www.alliancesud.ch/english/pagesnav/P.htm