How to Effectively Promote Poverty Analysis and Data Initiative (PADI)?

1. How to Effectively Promote Poverty Analysis and Data Initiative (PADI)? To Support The Poverty Reduction Strategy on a Sustainable Basis Shahid Khandker World Bank Institute

2. Why PADI? Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) involves 4 major steps: Steps: 1. Poverty measurement and diagnostics; 2. Identify goals, indicators and targets for poverty reduction; 3. Define poverty reduction and growth strategy; 4. Implementation; 5. Monitoring and evaluation. Requirements: In order to prepare, implement, monitor and evaluate PRS, policymakers require accurate, up to date, relevant data sources, and analytical capacity to analyze them. Reality: For many countries, data are incomplete, unreliable, out of date or do not even exist. Problems are often worsen by the lack of analytical capacity. The MDG initiative created an unprecedented demand for better use of information for better policy design and implementation as well as better coordination and better use of donor/govt. resources. Weak capacities (ref statistical, analytical, and policymaking) are major hurdles for effective poverty reduction and meeting MDGs

3. PADI promotes local capacity in support of better program design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation Development profile Public interventions National Development Strategy Monitoring outcomes Analytical support Demand for information Measurement/Diagnostics Poverty Analysis Monitoring Evaluation Evidence based policymaking Effective Poverty Reduction Accountability Transparency Setting Priorities Supply of Information Legislation Structure Management National Statistical System ResourcesTechnical capacity Supply of data Demand for data

4. Accordingly, WBI has been supporting country driven capacity development program since 2001 • PADI Objectives: 1. Enhance in-country analytic capacity in poverty analysis, monitoring, and evaluation 2. Strengthen in-country statistical capacity in improved poverty data collection, management and dissemination 3. Improve timely access to poverty data 4. Enhance in-country policy research on poverty reduction and program evaluation, and 5. Link policymaking to poverty analysis and data initiative. • Strategy: PADI program follows a four-step strategy

5. PADI four-step strategy Step1. Poverty measurement and diagnostics This step aims at strengthening national capacity in poverty measurement and diagnostics. This strategy will help provide a baseline for monitoring and evaluating the outcomes of the PRSP. Step 2. Monitoring poverty and social indicators This step will focus on strengthening the monitoring systems, which will allow policymakers to follow established indicators of progress and development identified initially and ensure that they are regularly measured and compared to the established baseline. Step 3. Poverty and social impact evaluation This step will focus on strengthening national capacity to carry out both ex-ante and ex-post evaluation of the poverty and social impact of projects, programs, and policies. The impact assessment strategy would complement monitoring of the PRSP and MDG in order to allow for feedback and improvements in policies and programs, in light of the lessons learned. Step 4. Better data collection and dissemination strategy This step supports all other steps, described above, shedding lights on designing and implementing multi-topic and other types of questionnaires associated with household welfare and firm behavior, processing and managing quality data, and disseminating data in support of PRSP objectives and MDGs.

6. PADI Activities WBI in partnership with local actors has been organizing PADI activities: • Hold regional technical workshops to promote analytical and statistical capacities to better measure, monitor, and evaluate poverty reduction strategies and similar national development plans; • Hold regional policy workshops on linking policymaking to poverty analysis and data collection and dissemination for cross-country experience sharing (e.g., pro-poor growth seminar in Beijing, 2004); • Hold in-country technical workshops to broaden local capacity in poverty analysis, monitoring and evaluation and support associated statistical and analytical development; • Publish newsletters to support regional network of community of practitioners to exchange information for better policymaking.

7. Promoting PADI: Some issues for consideration • Regional coordination through IPRCC • Leadership and ownership • Synergy between PADI and IPRCC • Renaming PADI • Resource mobilization, given donor fund decentralization • Moving ahead

8. PADI coordination through IPRCC • PADI Secretariat is now housed in IPRCC since May 2005 • Mandate of IPRCC is promoting South-South Learning in Poverty Reduction • PADI promotes capacity through learning by doing • IPRCC is in a unique position to promote south-south learning through promoting PADI • PADI is an informal network of policymakers, researchers, and data producers • Practice can be improved by sharing knowledge through regional and in-country capacity building programs with case studies • Institutional capacity building of IPRCC will promote objectives of both PADI and IPRCC

9. Synergy between PADI and IPRCC • IPRCC is an initiative launched as a follow-up of Shanghai Conference • Objective is to share China’s experience with outside world and bring in experience of others in China • IPRCC is an intermediary of knowledge sharing about effective poverty reduction • PADI aims to enhance local capacity building to support effective poverty reduction • PADI complements IPRCC mission • IPRCC is a natural place for PADI to be housed and managed

10. Leadership and ownership • After 5 years of WBI operated PADI in East Asia, PADI Secretariat was housed in IPRCC in May, 2005 • Regional coordination was still managed via WBI in collaboration with the regional coordinator • Lack of ownership and leadership of PADI program in IPRCC and in member countries • The problems were perhaps: (i) lack of assured funding against stipulated work program, (ii) absence of clear roles of Secretariat, Regional and Country coordinators, (iii) PADI was too much informal that there was no role for the agency to play without government support, and (iv) hence, lack of sustainability and accountability. • Ad hock leadership spearheaded by WBI at the early stage was not formalized through regular channel of government poverty reduction program • The performance of PADI has not been better even after the Secretariat has been placed at IPRCC

11. Renaming PADI • PADI (Poverty Analysis and Data Initiative) has been an initiative for too long • It requires a name that shows its maturity and long existence • Given ground reality of impact of both government and donor resources, the PADI can have different acronym to reflect this reality • We propose that Poverty Analysis and Data Initiative (PADI) is renamed as Poverty Alleviation and Development Impact (PADI) • The new acronym is also consistent with the philosophy of the South-South Learning for promoting effective poverty reduction • “What’s in a name” may indeed matter to donors, policymakers, researchers and data producers alike • Poverty Alleviation and Development Impact may refer more close to policymaking

12. Resource mobilization with donor decentralization • WBI role in mobilizing resources for PADI activities was key when donor resources were centralized • Since donor resources are given at the country level, regional coordination with country ownership of PADI program is immensely important • This requires more formal network of PADI than it was originally envisaged • Experience shows that country coordinators working closely with donors involved in a country’s poverty reduction efforts get things done (such as training and capacity building for local audience) by drawing resources from local donors (e.g., Vietnam and Thailand) • Since cross-country experience sharing is still an important element of learning and local capacity building, the role of IPRCC and WBI in coordinating PADI activities locally and regionally is still there • Therefore, regional effort through IPRCC can be strengthened to promote PADI • IPRCC is part of ASEAN plus 3, the PADI program can be made more formal (so that governments sponsor PADI) • Resource mobilization for both country and regional capacity building will be then much easier through ASEAN plus 3 • ASEAN plus 3 can have a Committee for poverty reduction such as the trade committee

13. Moving ahead • Regional coordinator selection • National coordinator selection • Role of regional versus national coordinators • Funding to be sought both for national and regional programs • IPRCC’s role as secretariat of PADI • WBI’s role to be defined • ADB and other regional actors • ASEAN plus 3 poverty vision • Strategic positioning for PADI