Parliamentarian Education Program in South Africa:

a Pathway to Domestic Accountability

LenCD Forum, Nairobi, Kenya, 3-5 October 2006

Nhlanhla Nene, Chair, Portfolio Committee on Finance, SA National Assembly

Neal P. Cohen, formerly with USAID in South Africa

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The First Graduation Class of South African Parliamentarians University of the Western Cape,

March 2004

Rationale for Capacity Development

• The end of apartheid

• Shortage of professional black economists

• Government to control own destiny, make own decisions

• No World Bank, IMF, or donor “dictating” policy (non-prescriptive)

• Secure domestic support – blacks do analysis, policy development

• Whole program build around achieving domestic accountability

• Assumption: Good policy flows from/based on good analysis

• Principles: full partnership, cost sharing, SA decision making, move training programs to SA from US, all TA includes training

Why Work with Parliament?

• Accountability to the citizens for policy• Expanded questioning, hearings – public discussion

of policy with civil society, private sector, academia and government

• PFMA and monitoring government spending• Leads to policy becoming understood and thus

sustainable

Public Account Committees (PACs)

• Request from Auditor-General to help PACs understand Auditor-General reports

• Training in importance of PACs to democracy and ending corruption, motivate, reading audit report (demystify and remove fear)

• Hearings: ask questions publicly (why no approvals or records, lack of financial controls, how was contractor selected – inculcate accountability)

• Government value for money – monitor government performance, achieve targets cost effectively

• Pocket guide of best practices

Parliamentarian Economics Education

• Focus on budget speech and macro-economic policy – stages: understand, ask elaboration questions, probe/discuss, make policy

• Focus on issues of concern to parliament – critical notion of opportunity cost, demystify economics

• Hearings: improved questioning of government officials, public discussion, spending accountability

• Work with parliamentarians to determine how/what to deliver – they design within known funding levels (agreed objectives, not predetermined methods, flexible)

• Benefits to government of public hearings

Lessons Learned - 1

• Parliamentarians’ program, filled gap they identified; USAID funder and catalyst, provide ideas

• Strong support from top government leadership; good enabling environment

• Quick rewards and recognition from the training (documented proof of success – certificates, diplomas, degrees)

• Taught by top SA economists, organized by SA universities and SA economic think tanks and in SA (lower costs, achieve critical mass)

• UWC willing to develop program with flexible hours, venues and special tutorials: applied not theoretical economics

Lessons Learned - 2

• CD support was aimed at learning how to analyze, non-prescriptive

• Open, public hearings and questioning of government officials, the private sector, NGOs and academia – leads to domestic accountability (non-confrontational)

• Parliamentarian ownership and direction – not USAID program for parliamentarians led to continuation when USAID funding ended

• Flexibility in implementation, not pre-determined methods, not HQ driven, listen

• Improving the capacity of Parliament is vital for domestic accountability and for policy sustainability

Future Steps for Parliamentary CD

• Public Account Committee-like institution at local government level

• Share PAC training with other countries (SADCOPAC)

• Parliament/legislatures need research staff and access to commissioned research