capacity building

Sri Mulyani Indrawati

Ref Batch
EX
Focus Area(s)
Civil Service
Ref Batch Number
1
Critical Tasks
Civil service corruption
Country of Reform
Indonesia
Interviewers
Jennifer Widner and Gabriel Kuris
Name
Sri Mulyani Indrawati
Interviewee's Position
Managing Director, World Bank
Language
English
Town/City
Washington, DC
Country
United States
Date of Interview
Reform Profile
No
Keywords
anti-corruption
capacity building
prioritization
transparency
performance management system
finance
Abstract

As a follow up to her 2009 interview, Sri Mulyani Indrawati revisits her years as Indonesia’s minister of finance to discuss the challenges of building her economic reform team and institutionalizing performance management at the ministry.  She describes how she worked closely with key members of the KPK (Corruption Eradication Commission) to cultivate motivation and teamwork among government employees.  With the support of her reform team, she established institutional mechanisms to reduce corruption and raise the credibility of the government.  And although Indonesia’s bureaucracy proved to challenge the reform team at times, she explains how performance indicators and standard operating procedures were instrumental to identify and overcome weaknesses in the Ministry of Finance.  In conclusion, Sri Mulyani reflects on the more personal attributes required to move sustainable reform forward: a strong vision along with the trust and commitment of her fellow reformers.   She describes the practice of public asset disclosure as one of the most sustainable reforms her team implemented at the ministry. 

Transcript
EX1 GK JW Mulyani_final.pdf
Profile

At the time of this interview, Sri Mulyani Indrawati was managing director at the World Bank.  She has extensive experience in financial reforms to reduce corruption and strengthen economic growth.

Kathleen Imholz

Ref Batch
D
Focus Area(s)
Civil Service
Ref Batch Number
8
Country of Reform
Albania
Interviewers
Jona Repishti
Name
Kathleen Imholz
Interviewee's Position
Expert on Law Drafting and Legal Approximation
Interviewee's Organization
European Assistance Mission to the Albanian Justice System
Language
English
Town/City
Tirana
Country
Albania
Date of Interview
Reform Profile
No
Keywords
capacity building
recruitment
promotion
patronage
Donor Relations
performance management
civil service commission
Abstract
Kathleen Imholz draws from her experience and perspective as a lawyer to analyze civil service reform in Albania, particularly in the context of the 1999 Civil Service Law. She describes some of the supporters and proponents of civil service reform before arguing that the Civil Service Law is unclear and had ambiguous coverage. She highlights the role of the courts and the independent commissions in working with the law but notes that many institutions have become weaker outside the civil service area because of the centralizing tendency. Imholz believes that civil society and media typically play a generally positive role but are not necessarily positive forces in pushing reform. She observes that anti-corruption initiatives have been minimal but does describe a number of other reforms that have been put in place simultaneously with civil service reform. She points to some of the main challenges that civil servants face and notes that motivating people to really want to improve the civil service is always a hard challenge. In general, she believes there is a need to expand the coverage of the civil service law.
 
Transcript
Kathleen_Imholz.pdf
Kathleen_Imholz.txt
Profile

At the time of this interview, Kathleen Imholz was an expert with the European Assistance Mission to the Albanian Justice System, where she worked on all aspects of the justice system. From 1999 until October 2005, she worked for several years with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the World Bank as an adviser to the Albanian government and the General Secretary of the Council of Ministers. Before that she taught commercial law as a Fulbright Fellow in Albania and worked on a legal education program in the country.

Full Audio File Location
Full Audio File Size
42 MB
Full Audio Title
Kathleen Imholz - Full Interview

Sok Siphana

Ref Batch
K
Focus Area(s)
Reconciling Economic Policy and Institution-Building Goals
Ref Batch Number
9
Country of Reform
Cambodia
Interviewers
Rohan Mukherjee
Name
Sok Siphana
Interviewee's Position
Adviser
Interviewee's Organization
Government of Cambodia
Language
English
Nationality of Interviewee
Cambodian
Place (Building/Street)
Supreme National Economic Council
Town/City
Phnom Penh
Country
Cambodia
Date of Interview
Reform Profile
No
Keywords
TRIPS
intellectual property
property rights
legal frameworks
economic development
technical assistance
capacity building
WTO ratification
international trade
Abstract
Sok Siphana discusses Cambodia’s efforts to join the World Trade Organization and to implement economic reform and development domestically. He discusses Cambodia’s transition to a market economy.  Accession to the WTO offered an overarching goal that allowed the government to implement key reforms, including establishing legal frameworks protecting private property and regulating economic activity, standardizing government procedures with respect to foreign corporations, and overcoming entrenched interests. Siphana explains in detail the efforts of the WTO negotiation team to represent the Cambodian nation and to build consensus within the public sector, the private sector, the non-profit sector, international donors and the general populace. Siphana discusses the problems faced by Cambodia in these aims, including entrenched interests, political gamesmanship, lack of expertise and capacity building, bargaining inequality, language barriers and budgetary constraints.
Transcript
Sok_Siphana.pdf
Sok_Siphana.txt
Headshot
sok_siphana.jpg
Profile
At the time of the interview, Sok Siphana was adviser to the government of Cambodia. Between 1993 and 1999, he was employed as a legal adviser at the United Nations Development Programme. In 1999 he was appointed vice minister of commerce in Cambodia, where he was largely responsible for the nation’s accession to the World Trade Organization. After Cambodia’s successful accession to the WTO in 2004, he worked as director of technical cooperation at the International Trade Centre. Siphana holds a juris doctor degree from the Widener University School of Law and a doctoral degree in law from the Bond University School of Law. 
Full Audio File Location
Full Audio File Size
105MB
Full Audio Title
Sok Siphana Interview

Joseph Rugumyamheto

Ref Batch
E
Focus Area(s)
Civil Service
Ref Batch Number
10
Critical Tasks
Civil service recruitment
Downsizing
Payroll delivery
Promotion
Country of Reform
Tanzania
Interviewers
Andrew Schalkwyk
Name
Joseph Rugumyamheto
Interviewee's Position
Former Permanent Secretary for Public Service Management
Interviewee's Organization
Tanzania
Language
English
Nationality of Interviewee
Tanzanian
Town/City
Dar es Salaam
Country
Tanzania, United Republic of
Date of Interview
Reform Profile
Yes
Keywords
promotion
pay reform
merit pay
downsizing
capacity building
Abstract
Joseph Rugumyamheto describes sweeping human resource capacity-building efforts undertaken to transform the Tanzanian civil service from dysfunction to effectiveness. He details an array of efforts intended to supplement broader economic liberalization by downsizing while enhancing the skills, competencies and attitudes of civil servants. He explains how the role of the civil service was redefined, rationalized and focused via targeted retrenchment and strategic re-organization of departments. Additionally, he unravels New Public Management-style reforms that promoted meritocratic recruitment, introduced an appraisal system based on performance targets, recalibrated career paths and realigned payment systems. He also explains attempts to facilitate the quality of civil servants and attract skills through the formation of a Public Service Commission, needs assessments and training programs, pay raises and the overall image makeover of the civil service into a functional organization.
 
Transcript
Joseph_Rugumyamheto.pdf
Joseph_Rugumyamheto.txt
Headshot
Joseph_Rugumyamheto.jpg
Profile

Joseph Rugumyamheto worked in several capacities in the Tanzanian civil service for 30 years, ultimately serving for five years as permanent secretary of public service management in the President’s Office. He was responsible for the management of all civil servants in the Tanzanian government in terms of human resources and development. He previously served as chairman of the Government Board of the Eastern and Southern African Management Institute and chairman of the Board of Global Development Learning Centre Network. Rugumyamheto retired in 2006, and at the time of the interview he was chairman of the board and a director of Douglas Lake Minerals Ltd., a joint-venture company holding mineral concession rights in Tanzania. In April 2006, he was awarded the Jit Gill Memorial Award for Outstanding Public Service by the World Bank.

Full Audio File Location
Full Audio File Size
78 MB
Full Audio Title
Joseph Rugumyamheto - Full Interview

Ellam Tangirongo

Ref Batch
N
Focus Area(s)
Civil Service
Ref Batch Number
15
Critical Tasks
Civil service corruption
Civil service recruitment
Performance management system
Country of Reform
Solomon Islands
Interviewers
David Hausman
Name
Ellam Tangirongo
Interviewee's Position
Chairman
Interviewee's Organization
Civil Service Commission of the Solomon Islands
Nationality of Interviewee
Solomon Islands
Country
Solomon Islands
Date of Interview
Reform Profile
No
Keywords
capacity building
civil service commission
code of conduct
confidential declaration of information
Donor Relations
patronage
performance management
recruitment
technical assistance
Abstract

Ellam Tangirongo talks about the period of civil unrest from 1999 to 2000, when the collapse of the economy in the Solomon Islands affected the ability of the civil service to function.  The Regional Assistance Mission for the Solomon Islands (RAMSI), made up of Australia, New Zealand and some of the South Pacific Islands, helped restore order and reestablished the public service.  Tangirongo describes how, as part of RAMSI, the Public Service Improvement Program (PSIP), with the help of consultants and advisers, developed a vision and mission statement for a new public service free of corruption.  Tangirongo talks about methods the PSIP used to establish a human resource program to improve practices involving recruitment, training, equipment and promotions at the national and provincial level.  He discusses the problems that result when ministers try to influence the choice of members on the Civil Service Commission and the important task of the commission in serving as a coordinating organ to involve the ministries and senior officers.

Transcript
Ellam_Tangirongo.pdf
Ellam_Tangirongo.txt
Profile

At the time of this interview, Ellam Tangirongo was chairman of the Public Service Commission of the Solomon Islands, a position he had held since 2008.  A public-service career of more than 30 years began in the provinces of the Solomons.  Later, he became deputy secretary of foreign affairs and served in the Ministry of Lands, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Women.  For eight years he served in in the Public Service Department of the prime minister’s office, including the last four years as permanent secretary.

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Full Audio File Size
59MB
Full Audio Title
Ellam Tangiorngo Interview

Humphrey Assisi Asobie

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H
Focus Area(s)
Building a Reform Team and Staff
Ref Batch Number
3
Country of Reform
Nigeria
Interviewers
Tumi Magketla
Name
Humphrey Assisi Asobie
Interviewee's Position
Head
Interviewee's Organization
Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI)
Language
English
Nationality of Interviewee
Nigerian
Town/City
Abuja
Country
Nigeria
Date of Interview
Reform Profile
No
Keywords
financial reform
capacity building
transparency
training
staff performance
recruitment
dispute resolution
Donor Relations
communications
timing of reform
constituency building
coalition management
reconstruction
decentralization
spoilers
staffing reform
Abstract
In this interview, Professor Humphrey Assisi Asobie recounts his experiences working for the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) to increase transparency within the Nigerian government and its service industries through the increased involvement of civil society organizations. He goes into detail about the challenges he initially faced in his role, including recruitment issues, maintaining a strong moral compass, increasing capacity to undertake the work, countering the culture of secrecy amongst the bureaucracy, and finances. Asobie provides step-by-step guides as to how he tried to address these issues, and how he ensured the ideas were favorably received. He also talks about his efforts to build support for the reform initiatives to help move the reform process along, and the role of NGOs, civil society, and the public. He addresses questions regarding the purpose of transparency initiatives, and how to engage civil society not only in the initiatives, but also in using the information provided. He also emphasizes the need to conduct reform efforts against corruption from the ground up in order to establish a base from which to attack those higher up the ladder. Throughout the interview Asobie is candid about what strategies worked, what strategies did not work, and the lessons learned from the process.
Transcript
humphrey_asobie.pdf
humphrey_asobie.txt
Headshot
humphrey_asobie.jpg
Profile

 At the time of this interview, Professor Humphrey Assisi Asobie was head of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) for Nigeria. He has been involved in the program since 2004 as the head of Transparency in Nigeria, representing civil society at EITI. Prior to his role at EITI, he was President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities in Nigeria as well as Vice President and subsequently President of Transparency Nigeria. Upon his appointment as Chairman of EITI in Nigeria in 2008, he stopped being a representative of civil society and began representing Nigeria. 

Full Audio File Location
Full Audio File Size
113 MB
Full Audio Title
Humphrey Asobie - Full Interview

A Promise Kept: How Sierra Leone's President Introduced Free Health Care in One of the Poorest Nations on Earth, 2009-2010

Type
Case Studies
Author
Michael Scharff
Keywords
infrastructure
project management
Sierra Leone
accountability
training
child health
maternal mortality
health care
procurement
strategic management
strategic planning
public support
institution-building
managing expectations
capacity building
poverty
recruitment
international donors
ghost workers
salaries
center of government
Focus Area(s)
Centers of Government
Building a Reform Team and Staff
Critical Tasks
Adaptive management
Donor coordination
Preparation of policy papers and choices
Strategic planning
Core Challenge
Principal-agent problem (delegation)
Country of Reform
Sierra Leone
Full Publication
Sierra Leone Promise ToU_1.pdf
Sierra Leone _MS_HEALTH_FINALToU.txt
Abstract

When Ernest Bai Koroma assumed the presidency of Sierra Leone in 2007, he promised to run his government as efficiently as a private business. A few years earlier, a brutal 11-year civil war had ended, leaving an estimated 50,000 dead and an additional two million displaced. The effects of the war gutted the government’s capacity to deliver basic services. Koroma launched an ambitious agenda that targeted key areas for improvement including energy, agriculture, infrastructure and health. In 2009, he scored a win with the completion of the Bumbuna hydroelectric dam that brought power to the capital, Freetown. At the same time, the president faced mounting pressure to reduce maternal and child death rates, which were the highest in the world. In November, he announced an initiative to provide free health care for pregnant women, lactating mothers and children under five years of age, and set the launch date for April 2010, only six months away. Working with the country’s chief medical officer, Dr. Kisito Daoh, he shuffled key staff at the health ministry, created committees that brought ministries, donors and non-governmental organizations together to move actions forward, and developed systems for monitoring progress. Strong support from the center of government proved critical to enabling the project to launch on schedule. Initial data showed an increase in utilization rates at health centers and a decline in child death rates. 

Michael Scharff drafted this case study on the basis of interviews conducted in Freetown, Sierra Leone and London, U.K., in September and October 2011. Case published February 2012. See related cases, “Turning on the Lights in Freetown, Sierra Leone: Completing the Bumbuna Hydroelectric Plant, 2008-2009” and “Delivering on a Presidential Agenda: Sierra Leone’s Strategy and Policy Unit, 2010-2011.”

Bernard Zeneli

Ref Batch
D
Focus Area(s)
Civil Service
Ref Batch Number
14
Country of Reform
Albania
Interviewers
Jona Repishti
Name
Bernard Zeneli
Interviewee's Position
Manager
Interviewee's Organization
Brain Gain Program, Albania
Language
English
Nationality of Interviewee
Albanian
Town/City
Tirana
Country
Albania
Date of Interview
Reform Profile
No
Keywords
Donor Relations
merit pay
ranks and grades
pay reform
performance management
promotion
recruitment
capacity building
Abstract
Bernard Zeneli describes his experiences as the manager of the Brain Gain program in Albania as well as his perspectives on the history of civil service reform.  The Brain Gain program seeks to identify areas from which expertise is readily available, particularly among the Albanian diaspora, and attempts to bring these people into the public sector.  The government plays a leading role in the project, which is supported by the United Nations Development Programme.  Zeneli outlines the process of applying for a position through the program and some of the benefits received by those with advanced degrees from abroad.  He describes the Soros Program that preceded Brain Gain as well as some of the potential problems created by providing various financial incentives to attract those educated abroad.  He also recounts some of the initial difficulties faced when establishing the program.  There was support from the highest levels, but the program met opposition from some of the lower levels of the administration.  Zeneli characterizes the relationship between the government and the U.N. and Brain Gain’s cooperation with civil society organizations as quite positive.
Transcript
Bernard_Zeneli.pdf
Bernard_Zeneli.txt
Headshot
Bernard_Zeneli.jpg
Profile

At the time of this interview, Bernard Zeneli was the manager of the Brain Gain program, an initiative of the Albanian government supported by the United Nations Development Programme that encouraged skilled professionals to return to the country and contribute to its development.  Previously, he was head of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the University of Pristina in Kosovo, where he developed courses related to policy making, comparative politics, government and international relations.  He also taught at Northeastern University, the University of Tirana and South Eastern European University in Tetovo, Macedonia.

Full Audio Title
Audio Available by Request

Taboka Nkhwa

Ref Batch
L
Focus Area(s)
Civil Service
Ref Batch Number
8
Country of Reform
Botswana
Interviewers
Daniel Scher
Name
Taboka Nkhwa
Interviewee's Position
Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture
Interviewee's Organization
Government of Botswana
Language
English
Nationality of Interviewee
Botswana
Town/City
Gabarone
Country
Botswana
Date of Interview
Reform Profile
No
Keywords
training
technical assistance
performance management
Job descriptions
discipline
decentralization
capacity building
Abstract
Taboka Nkhwa discusses Botswana’s efforts to improve public service institutions. She reflects upon the role of political impulse, discontent within the private sector, and international political conditions in providing an impetus for change. She also talks about the role of training, technical assistance, consultants, and communication in improving Botswana’s civil service. Nkhwa also offers insights into the obstacles to reform, such as political and bureaucratic resistance, financial cost, accountability and failures of service delivery.    
 
Transcript
Taboka_Nkhwa.pdf
Taboka_Nkhwa.txt
Profile
At the time of this interview, Taboka Nkhwa was the deputy permanent secretary in Botswana's Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture. Prior to that, she was deputy director for the Directorate of Public Service. She had worked as a management consultant for ministries in Botswana, where she analyzed ministerial structures and functioning. She was also involved in introducing a performance management system for the public service of Botswana. Earlier, she served as deputy director for human resource management for Commonwealth Public Services under the Governance and Institutional Development Division.
Full Audio File Location
Full Audio File Size
29MB
Full Audio Title
Taboka Nkhwa Interview

Filloreta Kodra

Ref Batch
D
Focus Area(s)
Civil Service
Ref Batch Number
1
Critical Tasks
Civil service recruitment
Sequencing reform
Country of Reform
Albania
Interviewers
Jona Repishti
Name
Filloreta Kodra
Interviewee's Position
Head
Interviewee's Organization
Department of Public Administration, Albania
Language
Albanian
Nationality of Interviewee
Albanian
Town/City
Tirana
Country
Albania
Date of Interview
Reform Profile
No
Keywords
capacity building
depoliticization
Donor Relations
patronage
pay reform
performance management
recruitment
training
Abstract
Filloreta Kodra discusses Albanian public administration reform. She outlines the difficulties in transitioning the civil service from that of an authoritarian regime to a democratic one. Kodra details the process of reworking an inadequate legal framework and her strategy when working with donors whose ideas conflict. She touches on the challenges of a government where corruption, patronage, and authoritarian tendencies can undermine reform efforts. Kodra also focuses on the role of salary negotiation for civil servants in reform and how to attract better candidates to public administration.
Transcript
Filloreta_Kodra.pdf
D1_CS_JR_Kodra_EN_web2.txt
Headshot
Filloreta_Kodra.jpg
Profile

At the time of this interview, Filloreta Kodra was the head of the Department of Public Administration in Albania. She was responsible for transitioning and reforming the civil service after the collapse of many state institutions in 1997. She had extensive experience with the civil service in Albania through her work within the Ministry of Labor as a specialist and was involved in the creation of the National Council of Labor, an advisory body to the Ministry of Labor. Kodra began working in public administration in 1981. She also served as the president of the Institute for Studies on Good Governance and Sustainable Development in Albania. She later became the vice minister of Labor, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities.

Full Audio File Location
Full Audio File Size
105 MB
Full Audio Title
Filloreta Kodra - Full Interview