Resources

This review looks at ActionAid's (AA) Accountability Learning and Planning System (ALPS), which was introduced in 2000 in line with the strategy Fighting Poverty Together (FPT). The aims of the review are to assess how and in what way ALPS has supported AA in putting FPT in operation through its core requirements and seven key principles; to identify key achievements, lessons and gaps in the system; and to provide a set of practicable recommendations for changes and improvements. Three core and standard elements formed the basis for the review: short focused visits to five country programmes (Kenya, India, Brazil, Italy and United Kingdom) with targeted interviews with key staff, some partners and local people working with AA; extensive documentation review of both core literature and country-specific material; and a written survey sent to all country programmes, international functions and Northern counterparts. It is concluded that ALPS is not yet being applied systematically within each country or across countries, themes and functions. Some of the critical gaps in ALPS logic and its implementation are identified, and in response recommendations are given on how to clarify ALPS in AA; support the ongoing uptake of ALPS; improve the quality of ALPS; and setting clear ALPS agendas. (See record no. 4706 for full report)

This paper is about the practice and the potential of immersions. Immersions are occasions when professionals learn directly from encounters with poor and marginalised people by living with them and reflecting on the experience. Those taking part may be the staff of bilateral and multilateral agencies, diplomats, parliamentarians, government officials, NGO staff, academics, or other development professionals.|Aims were to:|describe types and purposes of immersions;|review practical experience with immersion design, logistical organisation and the host community;|assess the rationale and impact of immersions, including better awareness of the realites of poor and marginalised people, personal and institutional learning and change, reinvigorated commitment, and influence on decision-making and policy;|identify enabling conditions for making immersion experiences a normal, regular and expected activity for development professionals, together with good practices.|Authors' summary

Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) and the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF), to which they are linked were born out of a crisis of criticism affecting the World Bank and the IMF (International Monetary Fund). The success of Jubille 200 and public demands for rapid movement towards thir world debt cancellation were accompanied by calls for effective social conditionality on the use of the resources to be released. While making proposals to marginally accelerate the debt-relief process, the Bank and IMF also struggled to arrive at a system of social conditionality that would answer the calls for their critics. The result has been PRSPs. This paper represents Worlds Vision's assessment of the reasons for hope and concern regarding PRSPs. It gives a background to the formation of PRSPs and Interim PRSPs, and examines PRSPs in the context of participatory process; civil society and the poor; ownership; accountability; poverty reduction and economic policy; resources for development; liberalisation of northern markets; rights-based economics; income distribution; conflict reduction; and measures of impact. In the final conclusions the author points out that differences between key conceptual documents and the more operationally oriented sourcebook, may prove to be decisive in determining whether PRSPs mark a bold new step or a repetition of tired, and largely discredited, policies.

This document provides a guiding framework for the development of social policy in Jamaica up to 2015. It outlines to following: a vision for the kind of society Jamaica aspires to being and achieving; a set of key policy goals which sum up concrete outcomes and represent progress towards the realisation of the vision; a set of goals and objectives for changes in institutional systems and relationships which support the achievement of policy goals; a framework for assessing progress over time; an Action Plan outlining a five year programme of measures to strengthen the design and implementation of social policy with a view to achieving progress in relation to the outcome and progress of goals outlined.|To realise the vision of Jamaica, the Government has committed itself to the following key goals in the areas of human security, social integration, governance, secure and sustainable livelihoods, environment, education and skills, health and physical wellbeing. In addition, the key goals for strengthening the process of social policy formulation and execution are highlighted through the policy process, strategic planning and resource allocation, responsiveness and institutional learning, monitoring of social trends and outcomes.