The programme directly contributes to the implementation of the Action Plan 1, Public Administration Reform Strategy in Bosnia and Herzegovina and thus supports a more efficient and effective administration.
The SPPD programme was implemented during a period of 2.5 years in partnership with 13 ministries from the state and entity levels. The programme contributes directly to the implementation of the Action Plan 1, Public Administration Reform Strategy in Bosnia and Herzegovina and thus supports a more efficient and effective administration that is better prepared to act in relation to requirements set by the EU accession process. The SPPD programme focused on strategic planning in relation to budget planning and development of public policies. Within these three components it focused on capacity building for civil servants, development of strategic plans, budgets and public policy documents and development of a legislative framework that would support a continuous use of strategic planning and development of public policies.
The SPPD programme has achieved the goals defined in the initial report. Around 300 civil servants from state and entity ministries underwent a process of comprehensive capacity building in the field of strategic planning related to budget planning and public policy development. Every partner institution developed several documents that also include budget requests based on strategic plans, three-year strategic plans with action plans and budgets and evidence-based public policies. Civil servants at the competent ministries developed more than 100 of such documents. In order to institutionalise the application of strategic planning and public policy development, draft model regulations were developed and subsequently adapted for every government level. The greatest progress was achieved in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and two ministries at state level have institutionalised the use of strategic planning and public policy development through legal acts.
The first phase of the SPPD programme was designed in such a manner that the bottom-up approach is applied and it ensures support for six priority sectors. The first phase was supposed to show whether such an approach would be successful. Success implies accountability of domestic actors and acceptance of such an approach, which was confirmed through an increased interest of partners that requested the inclusion of additional organisational units of their ministries, and even additional agencies as soon as after the first year of programme implementation. Instead of the planned 18 partner bodies/units, by mid 2010, the programme provided such support to already 30 such units. Eleven out of 13 partner ministries requested the inclusion of all of their organisational units.
Based on the results achieved and the level of acceptance of the approach by partner ministries, the state and entity coordinators for the implementation of the SPPD programmes requested a second phase of SPPD. Based on the support provided to around 1/3 of state and entity ministries in the first phase, the goal is to continue working during the second programme phase in order to 'generate a critical mass of civil servants and ministries able to implement strategic planning related to the budgeting process and evidence-based policy development at state and entity governments.'
Overview of results and achievements
The SPPD programme has achieved, and in some fields it even exceeded the goals set in the initial report. Around 300 civil servants from state and entity ministries from six sectors underwent a comprehensive capacity building programme or training programme in the field of strategic planning in relation to budget planning and public policy development. Every of the partner institutions developed a series of documents that include budget requests based on strategic plans, three-year strategic plans with action plans and budgets, as well as evidence/fact-based public policy documents (more than 100 such documents were developed by civil servants from the competent ministries). The greatest progress in terms of the legal framework was achieved in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and two ministries at the state level that institutionalised the use of strategic planning and public policy development through legal acts.
The SPPD programme was the first initiative that succeeded in connecting strategic documents and budget requests in a systematic way. Ministries that obtained the support of the SPPD programme in budget planning based all of their budget requests on medium-term strategic plans. Ministries of finance have recognised visible progress in terms of the quality of budget documents prepared with the assistance of the SPPD programme.
Institutional strategic plans, as advocated for by the SPPD programme, have proven that they can be a tool to be used by governments in order to increase the rate of implementation of higher level strategies and priorities such as public administration reform, entity strategy and obligations related to the European partnership and SAA, linking them to the annual work plans and budgets of the ministries. The strategies are thus translated into concrete activities at the operational level and actually implemented.
The SPPD programme succeeded in introducing standardised methodologies for strategic planning and development of policies at the state and entity levels. This ensured a basis for easier connection of the public policy planning and coordination systems at all government levels.
As regards public policy development, the greatest contribution of the programme was the introduction of the public policy concept and evidence-based public policy development methodology for a wider group of civil servants. The practice of ad hoc drawing up of legal provisions leads to a low rate of implementation of laws and secondary legislation, high costs of public administration due to numerous amendments to laws, and, most importantly, this results in a poorer quality of public policies, which have a direct impact on the quality of life of citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina. For the first time, the ministries included relevant actors in the early phases of public policy development and included them in the assessment and selection of public policy options. The development of public policies, in compliance with the OECD and EU standards, as advocated by the SPPD programme, is far from the usual practice, but it is the first step towards achieving a high quality of public policies and better adjustment of domestic legislation with the EU acquis communautaire.
Workshops organised by SPPD were mostly held within individual sectors, so that technical staff and assistant ministers from a sector frequently met in order to acquire knowledge, but also to discuss their problems and potential solutions. This has resulted in improved communication within sectors.