Chapter 6 - Service delivery in fragile contexts

Tools and approaches to service delivery in fragile contexts

Introduction

This section introduces some of the challenges, dilemmas and lessons learned in supporting the delivery of basic services in fragile contexts.

Failure to deliver basic services including security, health, education and justice is understood as both a cause and characteristic of fragility; states that fail to meet a society’s basic needs and expectations are seen to inherently lack legitimacy and resilience, and fragile situations in turn give rise to the deterioration and fragmentation of services. The impacts of fragility on service delivery are widely documented, and include; inequitable coverage and access, the proliferation of non-state service providers (including international NGOs), and the breakdown of long-route accountability.

The impetus for donors in supporting the delivery of services in fragile states is not only meeting basic human needs, but supporting the state-building imperative, specifically, the development of reciprocal state-society relations, state legitimacy, and meaningful accountability relationships. In this sense, donors are increasingly thinking in terms of how and to what extent the delivery of services can address the root causes of fragility. But many caution that using services to address inequity and social exclusion are highly political undertakings.

Service delivery models

Ensuring the quality, sustainability and accessibility of basic services in fragile contexts, particularly for the poor, presents a series of dilemmas and challenges for donors. These include the need to balance short-term delivery mechanisms with the development of long-term (state) capacity and institutions (the so-called ‘twin-track’ dilemma in that the two tracks imply different activities) and the potential for donor involvement to distort accountability relationships.

In supporting service delivery in fragile states, many call for donors to better understand access constraints, target marginalised groups, build on local residual capacity, and support local community-based approaches, community voice and civil society oversight. Some recent analysis has stressed the potential for more systematic use of public-private partnerships and contracting-out as models for basic service delivery in fragile states.

OECD-DAC, 2008, ‘Service Delivery in Fragile Situations: Key Concepts, Findings and Lessons’, OECD-DAC, Paris
How can service delivery be strengthened in the context of a fragile state? This report reviews evidence on the impact of state fragility on service delivery. Donors should tailor interventions to context, maintain a long-term focus on governance and state-building and manage transition and hand-back sensitively. Efforts at national government level need to be balanced with programmes linked to local authorities and communities.
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Pavenello, S., and Darcy, J., 2008, ‘Improving the Provision of Basic Services for the Poor in Fragile Environments: International Literature Review Synthesis Paper’, Report prepares for AusAID by the Overseas Development Institute, London
What has been the international community’s experience with pro-poor service provision in fragile states? This report examines the existing literature and synthesises information from three new sectoral reports to create a comprehensive picture of donor engagement in service provision in fragile contexts. While service provision in these environments is an increasingly prominent feature of donor interventions, significant challenges remain in balancing short-term and long-term objectives and tailoring engagement to the particular circumstances of each context.
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Commins, S., 2005, ‘Service Delivery in LICUS Contexts: Balancing Short-term Provision with Longer-term Institutional Goals’, Discussion Note, World Bank, Washington
How can international development organisations balance short-term provision of services with longer-term institutional goals? This note analyses service delivery in Low Income Countries Under Stress (LICUS). It looks at how to deliver services quickly to vulnerable groups, while engaging in the long-term task of rebuilding public institutions. There must be a thorough analysis of the specific country context and the creation of linkages between public institutions and aspects of service delivery from the start.
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Slaymaker, T., Christiansen, K. and Hemming, I., 2005, ‘Community-Based Approaches and Service Delivery: Issues and Options in Difficult Environments and Partnerships’, Overseas Development Institute, London
What are the challenges in implementing community-based approaches (CBAs) in difficult environments? How do they relate to wider service delivery (SD) objectives? This paper analyses the different objectives between CBA and SD, and the challenges of linking these objectives in aid dependant post-conflict states. CBA can contribute to broader SD objectives, but there needs to be more clarity about its limits, and more realism about what is achievable within the operational context. Donors need to rethink relating externally-funded activities to national systems in difficult environments in order to develop the structures that support CBAs.
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Berry, C., Forder, A., Sultan, S. and Moreno-Torres, M., 2004, 'Approaches to Improving the Delivery of Social Services in Difficult Environments', Poverty Reduction in Difficult Environments Team, Working paper 3, UK Department for International Development, London
What are the challenges faced by external actors in supporting service delivery in difficult environments (SDDE)? This paper asks what type of approaches, and what conditions, improve human development outcomes and build pro-poor government-led systems in fragile states. It argues that the international community should emphasise service delivery as a key entry point to further development in difficult environments.
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The OECD Partnership for Democratic Governance (PDG) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) held a conference in June 2009 to draw lessons from the contracting-out of core government functions and services in fragile states. In September 2010, the OECD's PDG published a Handbook on the subject:

OECD Partnership for Democratic Governance, 2010, Handbook on Contracting Out Government Functions and Services in Post-Conflict and Fragile Situations, OECD, Paris
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Case studies and lessons learned

The following case studies draw lessons from experience of delivering basic services in fragile contexts.

Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2006, ‘Observations on Service Delivery in Fragile States and Situations – The German Perspective’, Special 145, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Germany
How can donors co-operate effectively with fragile states to secure basic services whilst improving governance? This paper assesses the state of service delivery in Eritrea, Cote d’Ivoire, Nepal, Guatemala and Yemen. It suggests that development agencies need to stay engaged even under poor conditions. When partnerships with the state are difficult, donors can co-operate with civil society and the private sector, while making contacts within the government to begin the process of state-building.
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Berry, C. et al., 2004, ‘Service Delivery in Difficult Environments: The Case of Nepal’, Nepal Country Office and Policy Division, Department for International Development, London
What are the challenges for service delivery in difficult environments? What lessons can be learnt from the conflict areas of Nepal? How effective are different strategies for delivering services to the poor and the vulnerable? This collaborative report describes the different approaches development agencies have used to support service delivery in Nepal and highlights key areas for future support.
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Moreno-Torres, M., 2005, ‘Service Delivery in a Difficult Environment: The Child-friendly Community Initiative in Sudan’, Department for International Development, London
The UNICEF-sponsored Child-Friendly Community Initiative (CFCI) represents an integrated, multi-sectoral and community-driven approach for the delivery of basic services to poor and vulnerable people in Sudan. What are the main achievements of CFCI? How does it differ from other donor interventions aiming to enhance service delivery? This case study examines the effectiveness of the CFCI approach in Sudan and attempts to draw lessons for donors on service delivery in other fragile states.
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Green, C., 2008, ‘Strengthening Voice and Accountability in the Health Sector’, Nigeria Partnership for Transforming the Health Sector (PATHS), London
How can greater voice and accountability for citizens bring about improved health services? This Technical Brief reviews several voice and accountability initiatives supported by the Partnerships for Transforming Health Systems Programme (PATHS) in selected states in Nigeria. It concludes that the creation of formal mechanisms of voice and accountability can be effective in opening space for citizen-state accountability and improving service responsiveness. Further work is however needed from the government on strengthening accountability mechanisms for these initiatives to be fully successful.
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Zivetz, L., 2006, ‘Health Service Delivery in Early Recovery Fragile States: Lessons from Afghanistan, Cambodia, Mozambique, and Timor Leste’, Basic Support for Institutionalizing Child Survival (BASICS) for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
What are the impacts of foreign assistance on state stewardship of the health sector in early recovery fragile states? How can foreign aid encourage better state performance? This case study finds that donors have undermined state capacity to regulate service delivery by creating a two-track system. Promising approaches to support state stewardship include: contracting with NGOs; equity funds; civil service performance-based reform; sectoral plans; and budget support. Increased donor harmonisation is important.
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CECORE, REDROC, Saferworld, and YODEO, 2008, ‘Water and Conflict: Making Water Delivery Conflict-Sensitive in Uganda’, Saferworld, London
How can conflict-sensitive approaches (CSA) enhance development? This report documents how two water development projects in Uganda became more conflict-sensitive and, as a result, benefited recipient communities. CSA can deepen beneficiary participation and community ownership of development projects. More practical work is needed on implementing CSA within different sectors, and on understanding how best to adapt conflict-sensitive development to different levels and types of conflict.
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Lindemann, S., 2006, 'Addressing the Need for Water Service Delivery in Fragile States: The Case of German Involvement in Yemen', paper presented at the Berlin Conference on the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change 'Resource Policies, Effectiveness, Efficiency and Equity', 17-18th November, Berlin
Fragile states are often unable to provide water services to the majority of their people, especially the poor. So, how can international agencies work effectively in these environments to provide the infrastructure for safe drinking water? This study analyses the effectiveness of German donor involvement in the water sector of Yemen. Its success lies in the combination of support to sectoral reform at the national and regional level, and decentralised and commercialised services at the local level.
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