STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES
INTRODUCTION

1. PURPOSE AND STRUCTURE OF NATIONAL-LEVEL REVIEWS OF ADJUSTMENT POLICIES

2. COORDINATION ASSISTANCE: THE ROLE OF SAPRIN REGIONAL CENTERS

3. OUTREACH BY CONVENING ORGANIZATION

4.CONVENING-ORGANIZATION RELATIONSHIP WITH SAPRIN STEERING COMMITTEE DURING PREPARATORY PHASE

5. SELECTION OF THE LEAD ORGANIZATION AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE LOCAL CIVIL-SOCIETY STEERING COMMITTEE

6. OTHER TASKS OF LEAD ORGANIZATION

7. CIVIL-SOCIETY STEERING COMMITTEE AND ISSUES IDENTIFICATION

8. PARTICIPATION IN THE PUBLIC LAUNCH

9. ESTABLISHMENT OF A NATIONAL STEERING COMMITTEE

10. NATIONAL STEERING COMMITTEE RESPONSIBILITIES

11. SELECTION OF FORUM PARTICIPANTS

12. REVIEW OF FORUM PARTICIPANTS

13. COLLECTION AND PRESENTATION OF MATERIALS AT COUNTRY FORA

14. RECOMMENDED FORMAT OF OPENING NATIONAL FORUM

15. DISCUSSION OF ISSUES

16. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE RESEARCH AGENDA AND THE ROLE OF THE TECHNICAL TEAMS

17. FIELD INVESTIGATIONS

18. SECOND COUNTRY FORA AND COUNTRY REPORTS

19. SECOND GLOBAL FORUM AND FINAL SAPRI REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS

20. FINANCING

 

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SAPRI COUNTRY EXERCISES: 

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES

(Adopted by SAPRIN Steering Committee 13 January 1997
revisions adopted, 27 May and 29 August 1997)

INTRODUCTION

The global Steering Committee of the Civil Society Structural Adjustment Participatory Review International Network (SAPRIN) has been sensitive to the need for the country exercises to be conducted in as decentralized a manner as possible. It was asked, however, by organizations that will initiate country exercises in the field to establish Standard Operating Procedures as guidelines for moving forth in each nation in an effective and consistent manner.

Agreements have been negotiated with the World Bank that define the nature and process of the exercise, and the SAPRIN Steering Committee must ensure that the country exercises work within the parameters of those agreements. The Steering Committee has also established certain parameters of its own in order to ensure that, while allowing as much flexibility as possible, country exercises are carried out in a consistent manner that places popular, or peoples', organizations at the center of the process. Finally, issues have already emerged with the Bank and/or government in a handful of countries, so the Steering Committee has been asked to err on the side of being prescriptive in order to make clear to the civil-society organizers their responsibilities and rights as they engage Bank and government officials in the field.

In-country operating procedures are presented below as they have emerged from various documented meetings, beginning with the SAPRIN-Bank Steering Committee meeting of 12 July 1996 and the September 1996 joint technical-committee meeting. They have been reviewed, modified and approved by the SAPRIN Steering Committee, while the Bank secretariat has reviewed those aspects related to joint field operations that have emanated from joint meetings and agreements and the work of the global technical teams. The procedures represent "rules of the game" that will guide us as we move forward in the field.

1. PURPOSE AND STRUCTURE OF NATIONAL-LEVEL REVIEWS OF ADJUSTMENT POLICIES

a. This exercise at its foundation is a PARTICIPATORY one involving civil society, the World Bank and governments in a broad consultative process, as well as in field research, to REVIEW AND ASSESS THE IMPACT OF STRUCTURAL AND SECTORAL ADJUSTMENT AND STABILIZATION POLICIES AND TO RECOMMEND CHANGES IN THESE POLICIES AND IN THE POLICYMAKING PROCESS.

b. It seeks, in particular, to FACILITATE THE FULL PARTICIPATION OF THOSE WHO HAVE TRADITIONALLY BEEN EXCLUDED from decisionmaking in the deliberations, research and assessments associated with adjustment programs in the participating countries.

c. The structure of the national SAPRI exercises will consist of four major components: A PREPARATORY PHASE in which civil society organizes itself and then jointly plans the national review with the World Bank and government representatives; AN OPENING NATIONAL PUBLIC FORUM; A PARTICIPATORY FIELD INVESTIGATION; AND A SECOND NATIONAL FORUM.

d. THE PUBLIC NATIONAL FORA CONSTITUTE THE HEART OF THE SAPRI EXERCISE IN THAT THEY PROVIDE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR CITIZENS' TO BRING UNFETTERED TESTIMONY, EVIDENCE AND ANALYSIS TO THE TABLE about the local effects of adjustment policies. They will also immediately precede and follow the field research and thus will help define its direction and then assess its findings. They are designed, where feasible, to be major national events.

e. The field investigations will be carried out consistent with the purposes of SAPRI and as an effective complement to the participatory public fora.

2. COORDINATION ASSISTANCE: THE ROLE OF SAPRIN REGIONAL CENTERS

a. ASSISTANCE TO EACH OF THE COUNTRY EXERCISES WILL BE PROVIDED TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT POSSIBLE BY THE SAPRIN REGIONAL CENTERS. This assistance will be provided, as appropriate, to the local civil-society Steering Committees in the preparation of the national fora and to the its technical teams in the development of the field-investigation and research agenda TO ENSURE CONSISTENCY AMONG THE VARIOUS COUNTRY EXERCISES AND BROAD ADHERENCE TO THESE STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES WITHOUT IMPINGING UPON THE FLEXIBILITY NECESSARY TO RESPOND TO THE PARTICULARS OF LOCAL CONDITIONS.

b. THE REGIONAL CENTERS WILL HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY AND THE AUTHORITY, HOWEVER, TO ENSURE THAT THE NATIONAL EXERCISES PROCEED CONSISTENT WITH THE PURPOSES, INTENT AND GUIDELINES OF SAPRI.

c. The Centers will also have the responsibility to HELP CLARIFY "RULES OF THE GAME" WITH BANK RESIDENT MISSIONS AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND TO ATTEMPT TO HELP RESOLVE UNRESOLVED CONFLICTS with these parties and the local civil-society Steering Committee at the national level before they are taken to the global joint steering committee in Washington for resolution.

d. FUNDE, Third World Network Africa, FOCUS on the Global South, and (provisionally) the SAPRIN Secretariat will function as the Regional Centers for Latin America, Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe, respectively. They will have the authority, responsibilities, budgets and resources necessary to play this role effectively within a decentralized SAPRIN management system.

e. Other members of the SAPRIN Steering Committee, along with the Secretariat, will play a back-up role. Unresolved issues internal to SAPRIN will be reviewed by the Executive/Finance Committee, which, in conjunction with the Secretariat, will manage financial matters.

f. All in-country discussions with World Bank Washington-based staff held outside the context of a full National Steering Committee meeting that includes a full complement of government representatives should be attended by a member of the SAPRIN global Steering Committee to ensure a balanced understanding of the SAPRI process.

3. OUTREACH BY CONVENING ORGANIZATION

a. The SAPRIN Secretariat and Regional Centers, in coordination with other Network Steering Committee members, will contact an organization in each country to CONVENE A MEETING, OR A SERIES OF CONSULTATIONS, to begin the organization of the civil-society participation in that national exercise.

b. The convening organization will REACH OUT BROADLY TO THE ORGANIZATIONS OF CIVIL SOCIETY in that nation in carrying out this function, extending well beyond its own immediate network.

c. The focus should be on such entities as labor unions, small-farmer and peasant organizations, small and medium-scale business associations, and women's, indigenous peoples', religious, environmental and youth groups, as well as other peoples' organizations that have been affected by the local adjustment program(s) and those local NGOs that work with them. Collectively, they should represent a broad cross-section of civil society in the country, although a STRONG PREFERENCE SHOULD BE GIVEN TO THOSE POPULAR SECTORS, ORGANIZATIONS AND GROUPS THAT HAVE BEEN CONSISTENTLY EXCLUDED FROM PROVIDING INPUT TO THE FORMULATION OF THE ADJUSTMENT PROGRAM(S).

d. In reaching out to these groups, the convening organization should inform them about the history, nature, objectives and details of the Initiative, its risks and opportunities, and the broader Network that supports it globally.

4. CONVENING-ORGANIZATION RELATIONSHIP WITH SAPRIN STEERING COMMITTEE DURING PREPARATORY PHASE

a. Once broad-based interest is established, the convening organization should provide the SAPRIN Steering Committee and its relevant Regional Center with a list of organizations that will be included in the formal process of outreach and a "game plan" for effecting this outreach, including possible meeting[s] and other means of communication.

b. Upon satisfactory fulfillment of these conditions, the Steering Committee will release some or all of the relatively limited funds allocated for travel and related expenses during the preparatory period.

5. SELECTION OF THE LEAD ORGANIZATION AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE LOCAL CIVIL-SOCIETY STEERING COMMITTEE

a. THE BROAD NETWORK OF LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS that have been involved in the initial discussions about the SAPRI exercise WILL SELECT A LEAD ORGANIZATION AND A CIVIL SOCIETY STEERING COMMITTEE to manage the country exercise for civil society in that nation.

b. Funds to cover personnel costs and institutional support, as well as other SAPRI expenses, for the duration of the exercise will be drawn from an overall Lead Organization budget, which will be established in conjunction with the SAPRIN Executive Committee and Secretariat. Financing will be provided to the Lead Organization in tranches for each phase of the country exercise upon receipt of appropriate plans and an account of previous expenditures.

c. If the civil-society network has not yet established a Steering Committee, the first task of the Lead Organization will be the organization of a process to SELECT approximately six-to-twelve MEMBERS OF A LOCAL CIVIL-SOCIETY STEERING COMMITTEE.

d. The local Steering Committee should include A MAJORITY OF PEOPLES' ORGANIZATIONS, including, but not limited to, women's and labor organizations. Members of the Steering Committee and other civil-society participants in the SAPRI process need not be registered with the government as non-governmental organizations.

e. AN EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, or committee, shall be formed to jointly make programmatic and financial decisions on behalf of the Steering Committee.

f. A MAXIMUM OF ONE MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL CAN BE A CURRENT, RECENT OR ANTICIPATED RECIPIENT OF WORLD BANK FUNDS.

g. AT LEAST ONE MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL SHOULD BE A WOMEN'S ORGANIZATION or an organization with a strong background on women's issues and analysis. There should be strong popular, or peoples', group presence on this council, as well.

6. OTHER TASKS OF LEAD ORGANIZATION

a. The Lead Organization, with the assistance of the other local Steering Committee members, will complete the preparatory stage of the exercise, including the preliminary identification of key adjustment-related issues for discussion with Bank and government representatives and subsequent submission to the opening National Forum.

b. The Lead Organization will subsequently co-chair a National SAPRI Steering Committee with a Bank/government representative (or co-select a chair with the Bank and government), take the lead in coordinating the two (or more) national fora, organize a field investigation with the Bank and government, be responsible for any final or interim reports produced by the civil-society team, and represent the national civil-society network internationally.

c. A significant amount of the time and costs of the Lead Organization in carrying out these tasks will be covered by SAPRIN funds to the extent they are available.

7. CIVIL-SOCIETY STEERING COMMITTEE AND ISSUES IDENTIFICATION

a. The local civil-society Steering Committee will reach out to a broad range of citizens' organizations to CONSTRUCT A "LONG LIST" OF ISSUES related to the impact of the national adjustment program(s).

b. Each issue set should be framed as follows: a) problematic policy measure or combination of measures (e.g., import liberalization policy and/or tight credit policy); b) hypothesized impact of this policy(ies) (e.g., crippling of small-scale producers producing for the domestic market); c) the population groups directly affected (e.g., small-scale food producers, women in the informal sector, small and medium-scale manufacturing enterprises).

c. The Steering Committee members, along with a Technical Team of advisors that will be selected by (and act as an adjunct to) the Steering Committee, will narrow the list down to a "SHORT LIST" OF FIVE OR SIX ISSUES that emerged repeatedly in the interviews as priority concerns of civil society and that are central to the local adjustment programs.

d. The Steering Committee will then SHARE THE SHORT LIST OF ISSUES WITH THE NETWORK OF ORGANIZATIONS that has been consulted in the issues-identification process for the purpose of receiving feedback and modifying the list and the formulation of issues.

8. PARTICIPATION IN THE PUBLIC LAUNCH

a. As the local civil-society Steering Committees begin their work in many of the SAPRI countries, representatives from each will travel to Washington to participate in the global launch of the Initiative.

b. The civil-society organizations in each country will send their lead group or other representative to PRESENT PUBLICLY THE PROBLEMS WITH ADJUSTMENT IN THEIR RESPECTIVE COUNTRIES AND THE MEASURES AND ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN SELECTED FOR REVIEW.

c. They will be joined by a representative of each local civil-society technical team and by the global technical team and members of the global SAPRIN Steering Committee, as well as Bank and government representatives, to WORK OUT A FINAL, CONSISTENT FORMAT AND METHODOLOGY FOR THE COUNTRY FORA AND THE SUBSEQUENT FIELD INVESTIGATIONS immediately after the public forum.

9. ESTABLISHMENT OF A NATIONAL STEERING COMMITTEE

a. With a Lead Organization selected, a citizens' Steering Committee and technical team in place, and a handful of issues in hand, the civil-society team will consult with the local World Bank resident mission and the appropriate government authorities to establish a National Steering Committee for the exercise.

b. It is expected that there will have already been established a Bank/government steering committee that will include a representative cross-section of public officials from various ministries, branches and levels of government and that all or part of this committee will join with representatives of the civil-society Steering Committee to form the National Steering Committee.

c. At least half of the National Steering Committee should be composed of civil-society representatives chosen by and from the civil-society Steering Committee.

d. Ideally, the National Steering Committee would have between ten and fifteen members; a third-party Chair may also be chosen jointly.

10. NATIONAL STEERING COMMITTEE RESPONSIBILITIES

a. The National Steering Committee (Civil Society/NGOs and Bank/Government) will have the responsibility for planning the local opening forum, the subsequent field investigation and the second in-country forum.

b. Its first job will be to narrow civil society's "short list" of adjustment-related issues down to APPROXIMATELY THREE ISSUES THAT WILL BE DISCUSSED AT THE FIRST FORUM. Although there is flexibility in the number and nature of issues selected, emphasis should be placed on the economic impact (e.g., income, employment, production) of adjustment programs on different population groups and sectors.

c. The top two criteria for selection of issues should be the relative importance of the issues to the development of the country and their relevance to broad-based population groups that have seen themselves marginalized by the adjustment process.

d. THE LOCAL CIVIL-SOCIETY STEERING COMMITTEE WILL CONTROL THE FUNDS FOR THE FORUM AND WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR FORUM LOGISTICS.

11. SELECTION OF FORUM PARTICIPANTS

a. The second task of the National Steering Committees will be to DECIDE UPON THE PARTICIPANTS AT THE OPENING FORUM, AS WELL AS A WELL-RESPECTED NATIONAL TO CHAIR THE PROCEEDINGS.

b. Although participation will be as broad-based as possible, priority will be given to representatives of those civil-society organizations, Bank offices and government institutions (i.e., ministries, parliament, local government units) that are affected by and/or deal with the adjustment measures that will be under discussion. CIVIL-SOCIETY REPRESENTATION WILL BE DRAWN PREDOMINANTLY FROM THE POPULAR SECTORS, as it is the peoples' input that is at the core of SAPRI.

c. Other Southern and Northern NGOs (including members of the SAPRIN Steering Committee), as well as Bank Washington staff, may attend the proceedings; any active participation on their part must be prescribed by the civil-society and Bank contingents of the National Steering Committee, respectively.

12. REVIEW OF FORUM PARTICIPANTS

a. The civil-society contingent will propose its list of participants and the Bank team will present the proposed group of government officials, Bank staff and other representatives who would participate.

b. In reviewing each other's lists, the Bank may recommend a different representation of civil society, while the civil-society team might, for example, suggest changes in the composition of, and balance between, national and local governmental representation and in the nature of parliamentary involvement.

c. With both parties proceeding on the basis of the principles of independence and trust, DISAGREEMENTS THAT MAY ARISE CONCERNING LOCAL PARTICIPATION in the local steering committees and public fora WILL BE JOINTLY DISCUSSED AND DEALT WITH AT THE LOCAL, REGIONAL AND GLOBAL LEVELS AS THEY ARISE.

d. IN THE END, HOWEVER, THE TWO PARTIES WILL EACH MAKE THE FINAL DETERMINATION REGARDING THE COMPOSITION OF THEIR OWN RESPECTIVE LISTS OF STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND FORA PARTICIPANTS.

e. The civil-society contingent will control a budget from which it will finance the participation of the representatives from citizens' organizations, as well as forum preparation and logistics.

13. COLLECTION AND PRESENTATION OF MATERIALS AT COUNTRY FORA

a. In preparation for the opening National Forum, the National Steering Committee will have the added responsibility of collecting materials and preparing new information and analysis related to the country's adjustment program and the issues that will be discussed.

b. While the civil-society presenters and discussants will bring their own analysis to the table, they and the other members of the citizens' contingent, including those on the civil-society Steering Committee, will have the role of presenting supporting evidence.

c. In addition, the Bank has offered to prepare and present factual information on the timing, content and macroeconomic impact of the national adjustment programs supported by the IFIs; it will be the job of the entire National Steering Committee in each country to agree on what information of this nature will be presented and how it will be put forth.

d. As SAPRI is a participatory exercise in which civil society is to be fully involved in the review of adjustment programs, THE CIVIL-SOCIETY PARTICIPANTS IN THE NATIONAL EXERCISES MUST HAVE ACCESS TO THE SAME INFORMATION on these programs AS DO GOVERNMENTS AND THE WORLD BANK. THE PUBLIC FORA AND FIELD INVESTIGATIONS THEREFORE CANNOT AND WILL NOT PROCEED WITHOUT A GLOBAL AGREEMENT ENSURING THE FULL AVAILABILITY OF SUCH INFORMATION IN ALL THE PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES.

14. RECOMMENDED FORMAT OF OPENING NATIONAL FORUM

a. The format for the country fora will depend on the particulars of each country situation. A preliminary forum might be held to give voice to civil society on all key adjustment issues before approximately three issues are selected for discussion at an opening National Forum. WHILE MOST OF THE OPENING FORA WILL HAVE A THREE/FOUR-ISSUE FORMAT, FORUM PARTICIPANTS WILL BE FREE TO RAISE OTHER ADJUSTMENT-RELATED ISSUES for discussion, further investigation and inclusion in the final list of issues to be studied in the field investigations.

b. It has been tentatively agreed that each of the opening fora will begin with a discussion of the introduction of the adjustment programs in order to identify and bridge any differences in understanding among the parties about the basic facts about the programs.

c. If the opening National Forum maintains its three/four-issue format, its introductory session would be followed by three sessions that revolve around the selected adjustment-related issues. Each session would probably last between one-half and one full day, meaning that the fora would average 2-4 days in length.

d. CITIZENS' REPRESENTATIVES, backed by local academics, policy researchers and other interested parties, as well as by written analysis, WILL INITIATE EACH OF THE SESSIONS WITH PRESENTATIONS ON THE IMPACT OF THE IDENTIFIED ADJUSTMENT MEASURE, or combination of measures, on their respective constituencies and, where possible, explanations for that impact.

e. These FORA are designed to be truly national in scope and HIGHLY PUBLIC AND TRANSPARENT, with national and international media coverage encouraged along with international observers

15. DISCUSSION OF ISSUES

a. On each issue set presented at the National Forum, responses from Bank and government officials and subsequent discussion will lead to basic agreement or disagreement on whether the problem identified exists in significant form, and whether it is caused to some degree by some combination of specific adjustment policies.

b. Where there is disagreement, the question will be flagged for field investigation, as the third ASSUMPTION IN THE EXERCISE IS THAT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PROBLEM AND POLICY(IES) CAN BE BEST UNDERSTOOD THROUGH AN EMPIRICAL LOOK AT THE BEHAVIOR OF THE POLITICAL ECONOMY, including at the local level.

c. THE EVIDENCE, ANALYSIS AND PERSPECTIVES PRESENTED AT THE PUBLIC FORUM WILL BE CONSIDERED CRITICALLY IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE LOCAL ADJUSTMENT PROGRAM(S) in their own right and will provide the basis along with the field-investigation results and written materials for the discussion at, and the findings and recommendations emanating from, the second country forum.

16. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE RESEARCH AGENDA AND THE ROLE OF THE TECHNICAL TEAMS

a. After the opening National Forum, THE CIVIL-SOCIETY TECHNICAL TEAM, WORKING CLOSELY WITH AND ON BEHALF OF THE CIVIL-SOCIETY STEERING COMMITTEE, WILL NEGOTIATE A RESEARCH AGENDA AND CONSULTANTS' TERMS OF REFERENCE (TOR) WITH THE BANK/GOVERNMENT committee and team within the framework of the National Steering Committee.

b. THE RESEARCH AGENDA WILL BE DEVELOPED AROUND THE KEY ISSUES that were presented at the opening National Forum, including those that were introduced by Forum participants themselves, as decided in the Forum and in subsequent deliberations of the National Steering Committee.

c. The local civil-society Steering Committee and technical team have the responsibility of ENSURING THAT THE RESEARCH AGENDA REFLECTS CIVIL SOCIETY'S PRIORITY CONCERNS, that it will facilitate field investigations that in a participatory manner will capture the opinions and knowledge of the local participants, and that it will yield results that have real potential of leading to clear policy recommendations.

d. THE LOCAL TECHNICAL TEAMS are encouraged to consult with their respective SAPRIN Regional Center in the drafting of the field consultants' Terms of Reference and ARE REQUIRED TO SHARE THE FINAL DRAFT OF THE TOR WITH THE REGIONAL CENTER BEFORE THEY SIGN OFF ON IT WITH THE BANK/GOVERNMENT TEAM. The Regional Centers, in turn, will consult with their colleagues on the global technical team regarding each TOR and are responsible for providing support to each local civil-society steering committee and technical team in their negotiations with the Bank/government team.

17. FIELD INVESTIGATIONS

a. The field research is designed to be part of, and consistent with, the broader SAPRI exercise, which, at its foundation, is a participatory process involving civil society, the World Bank, and governments. The purpose of the research is to contribute substantively to the overall adjustment review through targeted learning, focusing on those groups that have been neglected in previous research and analysis on the impact of adjustment.

b. THE FIELD INVESTIGATIONS SHOULD THEREFORE FACILITATE THE FULL PARTICIPATION OF THOSE WHO HAVE TRADITIONALLY BEEN EXCLUDED FROM DECISIONMAKING IN THE ASSESSMENT, DELIBERATIONS AND RESEARCH ON STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT PROGRAMS in the participating countries, while attempting to include the full range of groups and sectors that have been both unfavorably and favorably affected by adjustment policies.

c. The basic research GUIDELINES have been developed by the SAPRIN and Bank global technical teams with input from representatives of the country technical teams. ALL MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL AND GLOBAL CIVIL-SOCIETY STEERING COMMITTEES AND TECHNICAL TEAMS SHOULD FAMILIARIZE THEMSELVES WITH THE METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK. If there are any questions about the content of this document (to be issued in early September 1997), they should be referred to the respective Regional Centers or other members of the global technical team.

d. THE RESPECTIVE REGIONAL CENTERS of the global SAPRIN Steering Committee WILL ASSIST THE LOCAL TECHNICAL TEAMS IN EACH COUNTRY in the consistent, though flexible, APPLICATION OF THE METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK AND GUIDELINES.

e. EACH LOCAL CIVIL-SOCIETY STEERING COMMITTEE WILL SELECT ONE HALF OF THE RESEARCH TEAM that will carry out the field investigation or jointly select the six-member team with the Bank. NO MORE THAN ONE HALF OF THE MEMBERS OF THE CIVIL-SOCIETY TECHNICAL TEAM CAN ALSO BE RESEARCHERS CARRYING OUT THE FIELD INVESTIGATION.

f. AT LEAST ONE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE CIVIL-SOCIETY TECHNICAL TEAM AND ONE MEMBER OF THE RESEARCH TEAM MUST HAVE EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE WITH GENDER ANALYSIS, particularly as it pertains to economic policy.

g. THE RESEARCH WILL TAKE A POLITICAL-ECONOMY APPROACH, meaning that a key goal of the research is TO UNDERSTAND POLITICAL AND INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURES AND PROCESSES THAT SHAPE POLICY DECISIONS AND IMPACTS. As such, we are interested in both understanding the complex relationship among policies, intermediating institutions (e.g., markets, regulatory and legal frameworks, governmental institutions, national and global power structures, etc.) and outcomes at the individual, family, community, enterprise and sectoral levels and, to the extent possible, establishing direct attributions of causality.

h. The field investigations will USE A RANGE OF RESEARCH METHODS, but particularly those that the Bank has not traditionally used (e.g., participatory) and will gather information that civil-society groups feel is crucial input for sound policy decisions.

i. The review will recognize the EQUAL VALIDITY OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE METHODS OF RESEARCH and, whenever possible, use more than one approach to validate information.

j. The field investigations will be conducted in each country over a six-to-eight month period.

k. In light of the participatory and consultative nature of the exercise and the range of countries and actors involved, there will be flexibility regarding processes employed, methodological approaches utilized, and timeframe needed for completion of the study.

18. SECOND COUNTRY FORA AND COUNTRY REPORTS

a. The results of the opening National Forum and the field investigation in each country will be discussed at a second country forum, also organized by the National Steering Committee, with the civil-society Steering Committee having the responsibility to arrange for and finance (with SAPRI-allocated funds) civil-society participation, as well as forum logistics.

b. This SECOND FORUM, held in most of the countries within a year of the global launch, WILL ASSESS THE INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS COMING FROM THE FIELD AND THE OPENING FORUM AND WILL YIELD RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CHANGES IN ECONOMIC POLICIES AND POLICYMAKING PROCESSES.

c. These recommendations will be incorporated in a FINAL SAPRI COUNTRY REPORT PREPARED BY THE NATIONAL STEERING COMMITTEE. The civil-society members of that committee will coordinate their input into the report with their respective SAPRIN Regional Center, representing the SAPRIN global Steering Committee. IF THERE ARE FUNDAMENTAL DISAGREEMENTS ON THE CONTENT OF THE REPORT, BOTH PARTIES, I.E., CIVIL SOCIETY AND BANK/GOVERNMENT, ARE FREE TO WRITE THEIR OWN SEPARATE DOCUMENTS.

19. SECOND GLOBAL FORUM AND FINAL SAPRI REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS

a. The various country reports will feed into the preparation of a global SAPRIN report that synthesizes SAPRI findings and articulates policy recommendations.

b. A SECOND GLOBAL FORUM WILL THEN BE HELD, AT WHICH THE COUNTRY AND SAPRIN REPORTS WILL BE PRESENTED TO SENIOR WORLD BANK MANAGEMENT. SAPRIN will be fully represented at the country, regional and global levels along with government officials from the SAPRI countries and Bank Washington- and field-based staff.

c. THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CHANGES IN BANK GLOBAL POLICY ADVICE, IN BANK DECISIONMAKING PROCESSES, AND IN ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH GOVERNMENTS AND CIVIL SOCIETY IN THE FORMULATION OF ECONOMIC POLICIES WILL BE DISCUSSED AND AN ACTION PLAN OUTLINED.

d. A FINAL JOINT SAPRI REPORT WILL BE PREPARED that synthesizes findings and recommendations from SAPRI and related exercises and ARTICULATES NEXT STEPS IN THE PROCESS OF DEMOCRATIZING ECONOMIC DECISIONMAKING IN WHICH THE BANK IS INVOLVED. EACH PARTY CAN PUBLISH ITS OWN REPORT if agreement on fundamental issues cannot be reached.

20. FINANCING

a. The Lead Organizations will have budgets from which to finance their work and the various activities that make up the country exercises.

b. Although the global and national SAPRI budgets are only partially financed at this time, the SAPRIN Steering Committee has budgeted a minimum of US$7000 to cover preparatory costs in each country.

c. In addition, based on tentative and firm commitments from donors, there is presently budgeted approximately US$34,000 for each Lead Organization for its work organizing two country fora and participating in the oversight of the local research team that will conduct the field work. The budget to cover three of the six researchers in each country is approximately US$53,000, also contingent on the funds being raised. Likewise, full project funding would give each Lead Organization a budget of about US$3,000 for communications (technology or direct costs) and public affairs, as well as proximately US$20,000 for local-participant travel and other logistical costs associated with each of two in-country fora.

d. It is roughly estimated that, beyond the European-government and foundation funding reflected in the figures above, there will be a minimum of another US$25,000 raised per country exercise, as the SAPRIN Steering Committee and Secretariat continue to raise additional funds for the field exercises.

e. As the Secretariat is attempting to raise these additional funds as evenly as possible for the various country exercises, THE LEAD ORGANIZATIONS IN EACH COUNTRY AND THEIR RESPECTIVE REGIONAL CENTERS WILL KEEP THE SECRETARIAT INFORMED OF MONIES RAISED (and of other fundraising opportunities) at the national or regional level, respectively, so a balance among SAPRI exercises can be maintained.

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