When conflicts end, both the local population and international community have high expectations that living conditions in a country will improve. To achieve this, capacity must be built up quickly. This article from the World Bank publication Social Development Notes argues that the best option is to create permanent capacity, and suggests lessons for more sustainable capacity building.
Governments in post-conflict countries and external donors face significant challenges in establishing adequate capacity to manage reconstruction. They must work in unstable conditions where the political balance is fragile. Despite this, public expectations of the benefits from peace are likely to be high, and donors often exert pressure for early results. However, research has shown that countries have a low ability to utilise aid in the first three years or so after conflict due to physical and institutional constraints. Governments need to work to absorb aid more productively during that period when it is most available. Strengthening institutions from an early stage will allow more effective use of immediate aid, as well as bringing longer-term benefits.
There are four ways to create capacity: build it, buy it, build temporary capacity or bypass weak government capacity. Building permanent capacity is the preferred option, but it can take time. Regarding the other methods:
- Donors may favour bypassing a weak government and rebuilding a country themselves. However, neglecting country ownership in this way often fails to produce the desired results and can be more costly.
- Governments may buy capacity by contracting services to the private or non-governmental sectors. This can work where there is no other option, but a number of specialised organisations are better than one large firm.
- Building temporary capacity allows reconstruction to get underway before permanent capacity is developed. Nationals living abroad and/or non-nationals can provide the required skills, but their role may create tension.
- Agencies are sometimes established to manage aid, and can provide a useful bridge between donors and governments. However, provisions should be made to transfer their functions to ministries at a later stage.
Efforts to build permanent capacity should begin early in the reconstruction process and progress alongside temporary arrangements. Key lessons from experience in post-conflict countries are that:
- Effective leadership in ministries and institutions is crucial to building capacity. Strong leaders can attract high-quality staff and mobilise funding.
- Adequate incentives are also important to attract and retain motivated staff. Creating these could require restructuring of the civil service, which may need to be carried out gradually.
- It is important to build on what already exists, including national and local institutions that survive conflict. The field experience of non-governmental organisations can also be deployed in reconstruction.
- Learning activities should be organised to take place within the country where possible, and should be relevant to post-conflict conditions. On-the-job learning should be privileged over training.
- Learning activities should be selective, focused and support the reconstruction and development strategy. They should concentrate on core government functions and complement modernisation.
- Assistance for capacity-building should be organised according to the specific expertise of international partners. Governments need to co-ordinate these different aspects to produce the best results.
