Institutionalising M4P at AusAID

Context

Challenges &

Remedies

Context

About me AusAID organisation and culture

– Hierarchical– ‘Command and control’ modalities– Adviser : bureaucrat divide– EBPM?– Politics and budgets– No PSD home

Context

M4P story so far– White Paper– Senior Management support– ECF sceptics– Katalyst visit– Internal debates– Food Security initiative & pillars…programs

Challenges

“..how can we know enough about markets…it all sounds very complex...and risky”

“..it doesn’t sound like its worth the extra effort involved for us to manage..”

“..we don’t have the staff, or the time…”

“Does the market need intervention?”

“..money for unscrupulous fat cats..”

Challenges

Clarity of message, concepts; time & effort for ‘penny to drop’

Culture of contracts that ‘do’, not process/partnership facilitation (e.g. SADI)

Risk aversion (guidelines treated as checklist)

Limited staff experience, high turnover Locus of control

Challenges

M4P is TA heavy M4P can’t spend fast M4P is not govt systems (Paris/Accra) M4P skills, teams hard to find

Remedies to date (AusAID)

M4P missions– Convincing staff of possibilities– Reports that give the flavour

Reduce M4P down to simple operational framework (see handout)

– How to do, manage, supervise, control risk

Explicit organisational agenda– Engage design & operational units– Focus group discussions

Remedies to date (AusAID)

Train staff Hire staff Expert Panels

Remedies (collectively)

DFID, WB, SDC, SIDA others need to ‘speak up’…at senior levels

Gather the evidence Operational manuals Database of experts, potential implementers