What is being fixed or How will we help fix or improve it? Why will improved? actors (How does, or (What are the inputs that make up comply so could, the public sector the intervention and on what basis that our results chain operate?) are they deployed?) assistance makes a lasting difference? (What is the theory of change?) Part A SIGOV assumes that SIGOV inputs (primarily technical SIGOV – interventions financial and human advice and guidance, and temporary assumes which cause resources are marshalled and capacity enhancement through that the functional regulated through the central external advisors) are intended to political improvements in agencies to enable and lead directly to institutional and and central agencies require downstream system improvements in the managerial ministries to undertake functioning of some public sector champions service provision. central agencies (and the associated within the public management systems. central However, coaching and confidential agencies mentoring not considered. can be helped and encouraged to support reform, at least formally. ends Reasonable Limited Reasonable the Part B ensuring SIGOV assumes a model of As a consequence of the weak SIGOV – – that those how the public sector specification of the results chain, offers no improvements operates now or could SIGOV has little to say about theory goals result in operate more effectively prioritization or about potential about when government downstream in which: (i) the interventions outside of the central and why performance right things to improve at the agencies. Interventions are not line Program improvements centre are known; and (ii) targeted with types of service departments those improvements will be delivery in mind, or with any focus and MPs both necessary and sufficient on the role of user groups or citizen should want for downstream service pressures. Again, inputs other than to achieve a delivery performance. It technical advice and guidance, and short term ignores the need to learn by temporary capacity enhancement and visible doing and to work with the through external advisors not impact on distinctively strong role of considered. service MPs in determining public Most crucially, the intervention delivery in sector outputs at the local for Part B must embody an approach the sectors. level in Solomon Islands. to learning how the public sector operates in practice and adjusting implementation accordingly. Implausible Under-developed developed
What is being fixed or improved? (How does, or could, the public sector results chain operate?) How will we help fix or improve it? (What are the inputs that make up the intervention and on what basis are they deployed?) Why will actors comply so that our assistance makes a lasting difference? (What is the theory of change?) Program goals – the ends Part A – interventions which cause functional improvements in central agencies SIGOV assumes that financial and human resources are marshalled and regulated through the central agencies to enable and require downstream ministries to undertake service provision. SIGOV inputs (primarily technical advice and guidance, and temporary capacity enhancement through external advisors) are intended to lead directly to institutional and system improvements in the functioning of some public sector central agencies (and the associated public management systems. However, coaching and confidential mentoring not considered. SIGOV assumes that the political and managerial champions within the central agencies can be helped and encouraged to support reform, at least formally. Reasonable Limited Reasonable Part B – ensuring that those improvements result in government performance improvements SIGOV assumes a model of how the public sector operates now or could operate more effectively downstream in which: (i) the right things to improve at the centre are known; and (ii) those improvements will be both necessary and sufficient for downstream service delivery performance. It ignores the need to learn by doing and to work with the distinctively strong role of MPs in determining public sector outputs at the local level in Solomon Islands. As a consequence of the weak specification of the results chain, SIGOV has little to say about prioritization or about potential interventions outside of the central agencies. Interventions are not targeted with types of service delivery in mind, or with any focus on the role of user groups or citizen pressures. Again, inputs other than technical advice and guidance, and temporary capacity enhancement through external advisors not considered. Most crucially, the intervention for Part B must embody an approach to learning how the public sector operates in practice and adjusting implementation accordingly. SIGOV offers no theory about when and why line departments and MPs should want to achieve a short term and visible impact on service delivery in the sectors. Implausible Under-developed developed
solomon-islands-economic-public-sector-governance-program-independent-review-2014.docx