In 2006, politics and procedures hobbled Bangladesh’s civil service. As divisions hardened between the country’s two main political parties, civil servants were routinely transferred or dismissed at the whim of the government in power. Hierarchical reporting and decision-making structures discouraged innovation and the exchange of ideas. Moreover, many high-level civil servants lacked substantial experience in managing projects. To address these problems, the Ministry of Public Administration collaborated with the U.K. Department for International Development to launch a seven-year reform program called Managing At The Top 2, or MATT 2. Building on an initial three-year stage that ended in 2002, MATT 2 aimed to develop skills, foster networks and gradually reshape the incentives for senior civil servants to make their units more effective. As part of the program, senior civil servants designed and implemented small-scale projects. Ministry officials and project consultants strengthened support for MATT 2 by asking secretaries, the administrative heads of ministries, to endorse the pilot projects every year. During the next several years, about 1,300 reform-minded civil servants operated in teams to design and implement more than 200 innovative projects using a model similar to the Rapid Results approach, a results-focused learning process that some other countries adopted at about the same time. The intended benefits emerged gradually, as more civil servants participated and the public began to see results.  MATT 2 did not alter transfer and promotion policies, nor did it take steps to depoliticize the civil service. The case offers an alternative to traditional methods of building government, and explores both the potential and the limits of this distinctive strategy.

 

In 2002, the interim administration of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan sought quick ways to expand economic opportunities for the country’s poorest rural communities and promote a sense of shared national citizenship. Afghanistan had just emerged from 30 years of devastating conflict. Standards of living were low. Younger Afghans had never lived and worked together as members of a shared political community, and some had spent most of their lives abroad as refugees. In response, a team of Afghan decision makers and international partners created a community-driven development initiative called the National Solidarity Program (NSP). The NSP provided block grants directly to poor communities and empowered villagers to use the funds for community-managed reconstruction and development. With the help of an elected village council and a civil society partner, a community chose, planned, implemented, and maintained its roads, bridges, schools, and health clinics. External evaluations found that NSP projects generally succeeded in improving villagers’ access to basic utilities and helped give a short-term economic boost to communities, although some of the other planned benefits did not materialize and project success rates varied across districts. During a period of low government capacity, the NSP was among the few programs that made a visible impact at the local level. However, the program's reliance on donor funds and outside partners raised doubts about its sustainability.

 

Associated Interview(s):  Ashraf Ghani, Abdul Baqi Popal​, Ghulam Rasoul Rasouli