Asian Development Bank (ADB) experts observed that the overall rating of the technical assistance (TA) for determinants and drivers of poverty reduction and ADB's contribution in rural Pakistan was very successful and outputs were of good quality.
According to project completion report, released by ADB here on Monday, it stated that by focusing on the major 'determinants and drivers' of rural poverty, the TA outputs filled important gaps in the existing poverty literature and contributed to the PSRP II preparation process, which generated a high degree of ownership by the Pakistan government. Overall, good quality of consultants was instrumental in making the TA as successful.
The consultative approach of the TA, with stakeholders contributing to the quality of outputs, was effective in meeting the objectives of the TA. Major lessons learned under the TA are: (i) For research-oriented TAs, consistent feedback and consultation with technical and research professionals is required to address the qualitative requirements of the study as it progresses and to enable the consultants to identify and address gaps in the research design.
(ii) Firm recruitment is a lengthy process, as evidenced by the fact that the simplest process through Single Source Selection in one case under this TA took three months. The average consultant recruitment time built into the timeframe of this TA was insufficient and should be revised accordingly for future interventions. In order to achieve the objective of poverty reduction on a sustained basis, ADB could consider further TA initiatives to support implementation of the PRSP-II.
The successful contribution of TA outputs and the consultative process to policy formulation may be used by future TAs to support other important policy areas of national concern. (iii) As follow-up action to the achieved TA outputs, the PRSP Secretariat (EA) will need further support to expand the application of the 'determinants and drivers' approach to a broader spectrum of rural districts across Pakistan.
Besides ADB, other development partners may provide support to the PRSP Secretariat for this purpose. (iv) Improved service delivery is high on the government's agenda under the new poverty strategy. The TA provided assistance for the preparation of a report on monitoring systems in place, for service delivery and facilities in rural districts on a pilot basis. This needs to be carried forward by the government and other development partners, ADB report recommended.
According to ADB report, the TA output targets set in the TORs were achieved. Component-1 created a database of poverty indicators in Pakistan that was compiled and uploaded on ADB's external website and updated subsequently. It provides a comprehensive set of information from all available sources for further research on poverty issues.
The data from field research, together with the work on best practices from selected development projects provided the basis for a comprehensive research report and supported four thematic papers on governance, rural poverty, social structures and interventions.
The reports employed a "drivers of change" approach in identifying major characteristics and underlying structural causes of high levels of rural poverty. The qualitative focus of the study on structural and institutional dynamics was appreciated by stakeholders and resulted in a wide circulation of thematic papers.
The thematic papers coincided with the preparation of the PRSP-II. Therefore, the study on 'Rural Economy and Livelihoods' became a significant input to the ongoing discussion on the role of non-farm sector employment in rural livelihoods in the PRSP II.
The study on 'Governance Impediments to Pro-Poor Change' made an important contribution in the context of ongoing governance and devolution related reforms by ascertaining the linkage between governance failures and the social gap as important constraint to poverty reduction. The paper on 'Social Structures' presented evidence that the cycle of multidimensional social exclusion can be broken through a reduction in dependence on land in rural areas and by providing greater opportunities for occupational diversification. The study on 'Assessment of Interventions', through an analysis of the design and implementation of four ADB rural development projects undertaken in the last 10 years, provided feedback on the effectiveness of ADB programmes and recommendations for improving the design of future interventions.
The studies on 'Income Mobility in Rural Lower Sindh' and 'The Impact of Global Cotton and Wheat Markets on Rural Poverty in Pakistan' filled a research gap on the factors driving income mobility and the impact of fluctuation in commodity prices on poverty.
The former study added empirical depth to the debate on the significance of non-farm employment as driver of rural poverty reduction by illustrating the variations in different sources of income, while the latter elucidated linkages between agriculture growth and rural poverty, and identified policy implications for poverty reduction strategies.
Under component-3, the four policy studies prepared after extensive consultation with the EA were well received and contributed to the ongoing process of the PRSP II preparation by the EA (draft summary disseminated in April 2007).
The policy report on 'Implications of Research Findings on Drivers of Poverty Reduction' outlined a policy action matrix providing a set of policy options and their expected outcomes on poverty reduction. This matrix laid out a clear framework for discussions between PRM and the EA on future interventions related to the GoP's Poverty Reduction Strategy.
The policy studies on "Missing Facilities in Rural Districts" and "Development of ICT-based Information Services and Distance Education in Rural Pakistan" were useful in illustrating the role of value added services in poverty reduction, and streamlining future interventions for effective social service sector delivery and were presented at a high level ADB workshop on poverty issues jointly organised with the EA.
The EA had indicated that the survey on missing facilities would be treated as a pilot for the development of a potential database on rural service delivery for all the districts in Pakistan.
The findings from the policy report on the assessment of adult literacy initiatives in selected rural districts, prepared in collaboration with a complementary TA, provided valuable policy guide towards improving literacy initiatives.
Four national consultation workshops and two technical research seminars, chaired by the EA, were well attended by interested interlocutors from government, civil society, and the donor community.
The workshops contributed significantly to the ongoing discourse on poverty issues and feedback received from participants was instrumental in steering the course of the research and identifying some important gaps.
In some cases interventions from participants led to the addition of separate studies or inclusion of specific components in the research commissioned under the TA. The workshops also served to encourage and facilitate the circulation of TA outputs to a wider audience.
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