The challenge of consensus building: Tanzania's PRSP 1998–2001

Abstract

As evidence of the failure of policy-based aid mounted in the early 1990s, a ' new aid agenda ' developed. The agenda emphasised among other things, the importance of dialogue and partnership in order to help build ownership of more complex second-generation reforms. The Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) has developed as the key instrument for implementing this partnership in much of sub-Saharan Africa. However, this is not the only objective of the PRSP. Tanzania, at the forefront of attempts to restructure governmentdonor relations and one of the first countries to prepare a PRSP, illustrates the tensions created by the PRSP's complex genealogy and how these are being worked out in practice.

After the MDGs: From Social Development to Technoenterprise in Tanzania

“…Tanzania was one of the first countries to embark on the PRS Paper process at the end of the 1990s (Holtom, 2007). It is now entering the final stages of its third phase of implementation in the form of the second National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty, known by its Kiswahili acronym, MKUKUTA II.…”

“…Economic policy in Tanzania is formulated by a close-knit group of economists associated with the University of Dar es Salaam who have strong links to government, to the World Bank, and to each other (Holtom, 2007). Members of this group lead policy think tanks, including Research on Poverty Alleviation (REPOA) and the Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF), occupy senior roles in key ministries and sit on boards for national development initiatives including SAGCOT and AGRA.…”

The Legacy of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Processes in Latin America: Introduction and Overview

“…Most studies of 'first generation' PRSPs (those elaborated in order to qualify for the HIPC initiative) conclude that national ownership of the strategies was fairly limited. Ownership was largely limited to the group of technocrats writing the strategy plus the political leaders who were most interested in accessing the debt relief; line ministries were less committed (Booth, 2005;Driscoll and Evans, 2005;Whitfield, 2005;Holtom, 2007;Woll, 2008). Parliaments were not involved at all.…”

“…This could but does not necessarily indicate that PRSPs were superimposed on domestic policy agendas: the similarity across PRSPs may also reflect the internalization of this poverty agenda by a group of key actors in government and society who stood to win by cooperation with donors; some countries have become 'post-conditionality regimes' (Harrison, 2001) or have a 'fraternity of economists' who direct the domestic policy agenda (Holtom, 2007).…”

“…With respect to participation, many authors maintain that participation processes led to a larger group of actors becoming involved in public policies (Driscoll and Evans, 2005;Cheru, 2006;Holtom, 2007). Yet most concur that participation was in practice, at best, consultation (Stewart and Wang, 2003;IEO, 2004;OED, 2004;Gould, 2005;Lazarus, 2008).…”