What are the challenges faced by external actors in supporting service delivery in difficult environments (SDDE)? This working paper from the UK Department of International Development asks what type of approaches, and under what conditions, improve human development outcomes and build pro-poor government-led systems in fragile states. It argues that the international community should emphasise service delivery as a key entry point to further development in difficult environments.
Where state capacity or willingness to provide for its citizens is compromised, service delivery meets the humanitarian imperative for donor engagement. But service delivery may also trigger longer-term pro-poor social, economic and political change. It can also prevent states from sliding back into civil conflict by addressing the structural causes of conflict.
Pro-poor service delivery in fragile states involves overcoming the challenges of (re)building deteriorated state institutions and scaling up the delivery of services where the relationships between the policy maker, the provider and the citizens break down. Where difficult environments are characterised by a lack of political will, a balance must be struck between using diplomatic tools to influence governments and ensuring that humanitarian needs are met.
- The international community needs to base its programming on a thorough understanding of the social, political and economic context so as not to exacerbate already difficult situations.
- The type of environment will determine the scope for trade offs between short-term and long-term objectives and potential tensions should be made explicit in programme design.
- Objectives and entry points must underpin the selection of aid modalities and effective agencies will employ a range of approaches and instruments flexibly to enable them to take advantage of the frequently fluid circumstances of fragile states.
- Improving the lives of the poor and building effective government systems involves increasing security, reducing vulnerability, creating livelihood opportunities and stimulating growth and cannot be achieved through service delivery interventions alone.
Although the evidence base is weak, the following appear to offer prospects for scaling up service delivery in fragile states:
- Where capacity is weak, consider working through government to contract out services to non-state providers focusing on the MDGs as the key output measure.
- Where there is lack of will, use a non-state mechanism (the United Nations has comparative advantage) to co-ordinate donors, and manage state and non-state providers. Align with state systems to facilitate handover.
- Where both capacity and will are weak, work with humanitarian actors to take a more long-term, programmatic approach to the delivery of services.
- Work with local structures to move resources down to community level, stimulate demand for services, monitor service providers and promote positive political and social change.
- On the demand side, consider social protection measures that reduce vulnerability and facilitate access to services for the poor.
