Compose a 2500 words essay on Question: Is the claim that PRSPs increase national ownership of programmes through extensive participation substantiated in specific country contexts. Needs to be plagia

Compose a 2500 words essay on Question: Is the claim that PRSPs increase national ownership of programmes through extensive participation substantiated in specific country contexts. Needs to be plagiarism free!

flects policies tailored to fit the needs of the individual country, and this might be seen as indicative of the amount of involvement (at all levels of the society) granted the nation in its compilation. Previous attempts at formulating written strategies for reducing poverty (such as the Policy Framework Paper) had resulted in almost the entire document’s being drafted by the IFI in question (Piron & Evans, 2

004). The PRSP differs in that it must be drafted by the country hoping to receive the grant or debt cancellation. Ownership can be called into question on more than one level. First, ownership by the local government can be questioned because of the nature of the document. The fact that grants and debt cancellations are dependent on its completion and approval by the IFI raises doubts as to whether the policies represented will originate with and reflect the needs of the recipient government and not the donor groups. Doubts also arise concerning the extent to which the nation as a whole may be said to own the PRSP, as internal frictions and disjointedness within the levels of government as well as between and among local non-governmental organisations may also prevent the document’s being representative of the different levels and sections of society.

The meaning of the term “participation” is also relevant in the consideration of ownership of PRSP’s. Participation can range from cursory and superficial consultation of the local governments on the one hand, to (on the other hand) the empowerment of that government by entrusting it with a decision-making part in the process. The idea is that those affected by the policies should have influence in the PRSP’s creation. According to the definition given by the World Bank, participation should involve a wide cross-section of the interested groups, including the donors, but especially including all levels of the local government, NGO’s, the private sector, trade unions, academia, and the public at