The IDP was divided into two phases. The first phase was devoted to: designing a methodology to analyze the relative level of advancement of four levels of government administration in nine management areas; testing the analysis methodology in 33 pilot units; and developing a plan of institutional improvements for each pilot unit in cooperation with a Pilot Unit Task Force. The second phase was largely devoted to assisting the Task Forces in each Pilot Unit to implement the highest priorities of their approved Institutional Development Plan, which included training.
In summary, after designing the methodology, the consulting team analyzed the current level of advancement of the 33 pilot government organizations in nine (9) management areas. Based on this analysis, the consulting team worked with each pilot unit to prepare their individual improvement plan. The task forces in the pilot units, guided by the consultants and a catalogue of management tools, determined a set of projects to be implemented on a priority basis. In total, the consulting team assisted 33 pilot units to implement 221 improvement projects in the final year of the project.
Funding Agency
Loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) to the Government of Poland.
Timeframe
2001-2004
Geographic Focus
 The project worked with 33 pilot units consisting of 24 gminas (towns or municipalities), 3 poviats (counties), 3 voivodships (regional administration) and 3 marshal offices (regional self-government).
The adjoining map shows the three regions the project worked. In brackets below the name of each of the regions is the location of the voivodship and marshal offices. The 24 gmina offices were located in each of the 3 Poviats.
Project Partners
The project was resourced by a consortium formed by the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) and the Malpolska School of Public Administration (MSAP). Participating organizations included: GHK International ( Canada) Ltd., Chartwell Inc., UMBRELLA Association of Consultants, Altkom Academy, and Foundation for Economic Education.
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Background
With a view to joining the European Union, the Republic of Poland began a program of comprehensive government reform in January 1999. The reforms included changes to administrative and financial structures by decentralizing some public service delivery to two new structures of democratically elected self-government: the Marshal's Office at the regional level and the Poviat at the local /district level (including usually 5 to 10 local municipalities or gminas).
It was generally considered that, even at the outset of the institutional reform, the institutional capacity of the sub-national government units would require strengthening in order to effectively manage the newly decentralized competencies. The main symptoms observed during the first full term of newly elected self-government units were: inadequate funding sources, overlapping competences between various tiers of self-government and changing government legislation, especially those affecting delivery of public services.
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Project Description
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| Toward improved public administration for local authorities: Polish Ministry of Interior and Public Administration, Canadian Urban Institute and Malo-polska School of Public Administration launch the project in Warsaw (09/01) |
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The Institutional Development Program (IDP) was aimed at increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of selected local and regional government pilot units in primarily rural communities of Poland and at developing and testing a methodology of institutional analysis (IA). The implementation priorities selected by local government taskforces were based upon a prioritization of activities from the institutional development (ID) plans and a catalogue of local and regional government management tools. The IDP results from an understanding of the organization's state of development in each management area as a result of an institutional analysis, and in the setting of priorities for improvement.
During the first 12 months of the IDP, a team of international and Polish professionals, led by the Canadian Urban Institute, worked together with a Task Force in each of the Pilot Units to develop institutional development (ID) plans in 33 local and regional government units. This was done in order to build the capacity of the units' administration and management. During the following 15 months (phase two) of the project, the ID plans were implemented.
Key outputs for phase one were:
- A report on both Polish and International best practices in the project's nine management areas with the purpose of formulating a vision of desired state of management in each area;
- A framework for evaluating the level of organizational development or relative advancement of government administration in nine management areas was developed through a series of indicators for each management area;
- An organizational analysis of each of the pilot units was undertaken utilizing the above framework (methodology); and
- The development and approval by the pilot unit authorities of a plan of institutional improvements (or Institutional Development Plan).
Key outputs for phase two were:
- Priority areas were identified by pilot units;
- Institutional Development Plans were implemented in Pilot Units;
- The methodology was refined, finalized and documented in the form of a manual, ready for dissemination; and
- An effective and low-cost methodology of organizational analysis and improvement for self-government in Poland was produced.
The original contract included fourteen outputs to be delivered in Phases 1 and 2. An additional six outputs were added during the course of the project. The project outputs, covering mainly analytical and institutional improvement instruments and tools, are to be disseminated to other governments throughout Poland.
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Approach
As lead agency, the CUI was responsible for overall contract management and for ensuring effective transfer of knowledge to local partners and consultants. It executed this role by:
- Providing direct technical expertise to the development and implementation of the institutional analysis methodology for the 33 pilot units.
- Producing relevant international best practices in local and regional government management areas.
- Building the skills and competencies of pilot unit personnel through developing and executing training programs.
- Coaching and mentoring local project consultants, staff and stakeholders through a series of workshops and field-visits. This included providing input into the refining and finalizing of the Institutional Development plans by documenting strategies and recommendations in the form of a manual.
- In all cases the CUI operated in close cooperation with project partners and local consultants to ensure local ownership and buy-in.
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Results
The following is a list of some of the key results of the project:
- 100% of all ID Plans approved by Pilot Units (actual output exceeded minimum planned output of 20 pilot units approving ID Plans).
- 99% of the 221 approved tasks were fully implemented (actual output exceeded minimum planned output of 133 tasks (60% of tasks approved).
- 60 full-day workshops in 19 different topics for approximately 1,200 local and regional government employees/representatives
- Over 97% of the over 100 participants of the final IDP conference stated that changes in their units, as a result of the project, will be sustainable.
The following outcome-level results were achieved:
- Innovative approaches for improving the management processes and structures of pilot units in Poland.
- Partnerships for long-term institutional development by reinforcing the importance of inter-governmental cooperation and facilitating communication within the units, and between other important stakeholders, such as citizens, non-governmental organisations, and business.
- Enhanced pilot units' ability to deliver services to its citizens in a sustainable manner and increased operational efficiency even beyond the project's graduation.
- Enabled pilot units to mainstream social and economic development approaches into public administration.
- Built the overall capacity of pilot units, thereby substantially strengthening their role as key players in the transformation and modernization of public administration both locally and regionally.
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