ASSOCIATION DEVELOPMENT IN ARMENIA

IPA Senior Associate Graham Watt worked in Yerevan, Armenia in the fall of 2000 assessing and evaluating two municipal associations (Union of Communities and Union Yerevan Councilors) and one professional association (Association of Finance Officers). Mr. Watt mission was to design business plans that would enhance the capacity, effectiveness and long-term sustainability of these associations. Specific tasks included: reviewing the structure and activities of the associations, including their charters and dues structures; and, training association staff in business planning techniques. This work, performed under a subcontract with The Urban Institute was part of the USAID sponsored Local Government Assistance Initiative
Contact: Patrick Sommerville

BANGLADESH:

CIVIL SERVICE DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING IN BANGLADESH

IPA was invited to assist the Government of Bangladesh in augmenting its civil service and training capacities. Project work involved upgrading the quality and increasing the instructional capacity of existing public service training institutes in Dhaka and their integration into a Public Administration Training Centre. This work encompassed development of management and supervisory training capabilities in four regional training centers and the Staff Training Institute. IPA also assisted the Ministry of Establishment in upgrading its capacity as the central personnel and management services agency. 1983-86.
Contact: Annmarie Walsh

CAMBODIA:

CAMBODIA LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FUND (LDF) PROJECT

A critical aspect of public sector governance in which IPA has considerable experience is the design and implementation of frameworks to guide the process of preparing local government development budgets. IPA Senior Staff member Paul Smoke and former member Leonardo Romeo worked with the Cambodia Local Development Fund (LDF) to introduce decentralized and participatory development planning procedures, and to establish transparent rules and objective standards for resource allocation and project appraisal. This project achieved considerable success in beginning to integrate local planning processes for determining priority projects and a system of standards for project monitoring into the formal budgeting structures of local governments. The project was funded by the United Nations Capital Development Fund. 2000-2001.
Contact: Debora Brakarz

CHINA:

HOUSING REFORM IN CHINA

A multi-year project at IPA is contributing to the reform of China's housing policy and system. A study on several topics related to housing finance and production in the U.S. and China was conducted by a team of urban economists for senior government officials in China. 1991-96.

URBAN PLANNING IN CHINA'S TRANSITION TO A SOCIALIST MARKET ECONOMY

A multi-year project is contributing to the development of urban planning theory and practice as China makes the transition to a "socialist market economy." Through research activities, study tours, and seminars, planners from China, Japan and the U.S. exchange information and ideas about the experience of each country. IPA organized a recent visit to the U.S. for a delegation of senior Chinese urban planners, including the Director of the Department of Urban Planning of the Ministry of Construction, which included stops at the American Planning Association meeting in Orlando, New York City, San Francisco and Los Angeles. 1993-96.
Contact: David Mammen

URBAN LAND USE IN CHINA

A senior delegation of urban land use officials from the People's Republic of China visited IPA to study New York City's land use and planning systems. Mr. Sun Yinghui, Director of the General Office of China's State Land Administration and the head of the delegation, reported on the most valuable elements learned during the program which included property transaction tax rates and their role in stimulating the buying and selling of property; city government's relationships with non-governmental organizations; the interaction among non-governmental organizations, private property owners, and the city government; and regional development issues in the tri-state area. 1995.
Contact: David Mammen

URBAN LAND USE AND MANAGEMENT IN CHINA

An international team directed by IPA helped formulate recommendations concerning China's transformation of a communal system of urban land ownership to a market system. The study covers four general topics: urban land as an economic resource, the separation of land ownership and land use, best techniques for gaining appropriate revenue from users, and the anticipated opportunities and consequences of land planning. IPA experts visited China on several occasions to conduct field research in several cities where experiments with land use reforms are underway. IPA also coordinated studies in the U.S. by Chinese scholars, and organized study tours to Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sweden, and the U.S. for comparative study. 1988-92.
Contact: David Mammen

URBAN MANAGEMENT IN CHINA

IPA Associates participated in a series of workshops in China on the subject of urban management. The delegation, convened by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, visited Shanghai, Wuhan, Jinan, Ningbo, and Beijing. Discussions were held with Chinese urban experts and local government officials. 1991.

CIVIL SERVICE REFORM IN CHINA

IPA served as chief technical advisor to the Minister of Personnel on China's Civil Service Reform Project. 1989-90.
Contact: David Mammen

PROVINCIAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT REORGANIZATION IN CHINA

IPA provided assistance to a project team in drafting a work plan for provincial and local government reorganization. 1990.

URBAN HOUSING REFORM IN CHINA

IPA worked with the China Ministry of Construction and the China Academy of Urban Planning and Design in their efforts to commercialize housing and speed up the growth of the residential construction industry. Staff members visited China to develop and comment on background and policy papers. In cooperation with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Chinese officials visited U.S. cities. IPA and the Chinese convened an international workshop in the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, where Chinese officials exchanged information and opinions with selected experts from abroad. 1986-90.
Contact: David Mammen

GEORGIA:

LEGISLATIVE BUDGETING IN GEORGIA

IPA Associate David Martin took a one-year leave of absence as Budget Director for the New York State Assembly Ways and Means Committee to serve as IPA's Budget Advisor to the Parliament of the Republic of Georgia. He is establishing a Georgian Parliament Budget Office, with the goal of improving the legislature's capacity to perform budget analysis and examine the economic impacts of proposed legislation. This effort is part of a USAID Comprehensive Tax and Fiscal Reform Project in Georgia administered by the Barents Group of KPMG. 1997-1998.
Contact: Lizabeth Kingsley

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT TRAINING IN GEORGIA

IPA Associate Winston Evans led a seminar on financial management training for local government officials in Tbilisi, Georgia. The seminar focused on improved budgeting practices such as program budgeting, budget transparency, development of fiscal indicators, revenue maximization, and capital budgeting. This project is part of the USAID sponsored Local Government Assistance Initiative and was performed under subcontract with The Urban Institute.
Contact: Patrick Sommerville

INDONESIA:

DEVELOPMENT OF THE FOUNDATION FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT INNOVATION

IPA has launched a three-year, USAID-funded project to establish the "Foundation for Local Government Innovation" in Jakarta, Indonesia. As Local Government Management Specialist/Resident Advisor, IPA Senior Staff member John Tabor is providing lead technical expertise to create a permanent organization focused on improving public policy and government management. The foundation will provide expert advice, policy analysis, and training and technical assistance services primarily to local governments and their associations. It is anticipated that the foundation will operate largely on a "fee for service" basis, thus offering the prospect of generating a significant amount of its own operating income. A further activity of the project is to create a Center for Local Government Innovation. IPA is performing this work in collaboration with The Urban Institute, Chemonics International and Indonesian public officials. 2001-2004.
Contact: Lite Otoo

PROFESSIONAL HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT IN INDONESIA

IPA has cooperated since 1980 with the National Development Planning Board (BAPPENAS) of the Government of Indonesia (GOI) in developing its Overseas Training Office (OTO) and in administering graduate degree and non-degree fellowships granted by the GOI. IPA's Fellowship Training Office supports civil servants in universities and technical training centers in North America and Europe. Since 1990, almost 500 students have returned to their government posts where they are making valuable contributions toward the development of the civil service in Indonesia. James Leigland, IPA's resident consultant in Jakarta (1990 - 1994), advised on overall program management, strengthening organizational components of the OTO, strategic planning, and financial management. Staff exchanges between OTO and IPA have strengthened the understanding of our counterparts' needs. 1980-98.
Contact: Lizabeth Kingsley

BUDGETING FOR INDONESIA

IPA and the Institute for Training & Development provided a study tour in the Principles of Research for Local Government for Indonesian officials working in the Ministry of Home Affairs. To illustrate New York City's various revenue sources, expenditures, and methods of budget planning, IPA Associate Bernard Rosen, former New York City First Deputy Budget Director, discussed the problems New York City faced during its fiscal crisis in the 1970s and the preventative measures since taken. 1996.
Contact: Lizabeth Kingsley

MANAGEMENT SKILLS ANALYSIS FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF INDONESIA

IPA worked with the National Institute of Public Administration, the Ministry of Administrative Reform and the Agency for National Civil Service Administration to assist in the introduction of a methodology for management training needs assessments and the piloting of a system for position classification in Indonesia's civil service. 1990-92.
Contact: Annmarie Walsh

JAPAN:

STUDY ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW YORK CITY'S SILICON ALLEY

After an August 1997 visit by Mr. Akiyama, President of Kansai Electric Power Company, to New York City's Silicon Alley, he asked IPA to conduct a feasibility study for the development of an Osaka Silicon Alley. IPA is completing a report documenting in detail the experience of New York City's Silicon Alley, with reference to other information technology centers including Silicon Valley, Route 128, and Silicon Hill. 1997-1998.
Contact: Kozo Aoyama

RESEARCH ON CIVIC EDUCATION AND LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR JAPAN

Kansai Electric Power Company, Ltd. asked IPA to research case studies in civic education and local economic development, specifically Silicon Alley, a high-technology industry based development in New York City. 1996-97.
Contact: Kozo Aoyama

URBAN RESEARCH FOR THE TOKYO METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT

The Executive Director of the New York office of the Tokyo metropolitan government (TMG) visited IPA in fall 1996 to ask IPA to undertake two studies that had been requested by Tokyo city government headquarters. One is a study of current New York City zoning issues. This request grew out of a visit to IPA by Mr. Akiguchi, Director of the Comprehensive Planning Department of Tokyo government, in May 1996 and a follow-up conversation with David Mammen during his visit to Tokyo in September 1996. Alberto Villar of IPA, formerly on the staff of NYC Department of City Planning, prepared a paper for TMG which outlines several current zoning issues. A second, smaller study concerns an effort in Japan to move the capital out of Tokyo. This is gaining momentum, and TMG wants to understand the experience of other countries where the economic and political capitals are in separate cities. 1996-97.
Contact: David Mammen

COMPARATIVE QUALITY OF LIFE STUDY IN JAPAN AND FRANCE

This project relates to the Japanese government's consideration of moving its capital city from Tokyo to a municipality in Japan's northern, Tohoku region. Because natural conditions in Tohoku resemble those in southeastern France, the Japanese Ministry of Construction has been working with Japan Management and Research, Inc. (JMAR) to collect information about French quality of life in this area of France. At JMAR's request IPA selected four cities in this region (Lyon, Grenoble, Chambery, and Chaponost), conducted a study in each about quality of life issues including residents' daily routines, working life and leisure activities, and collected data describing each city's economic activity and physical infrastructure. 1996.
Contact: Yoshihiro Asano or Lizabeth Kingsley

REPORT ON URBAN PLANNING AND POLICY ISSUES IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

Mr. Akiyama, President of Kansai Electric Power Company, Ltd., asked IPA to prepare a report describing current public policy and urban planning issues in Chicago in advance of his visit there in August 1996. Mr. Akiyama travelled to Chicago to meet with the Mayor, the President of the University of Chicago, deans, faculty, and Nobel prize winners at the University of Chicago, and CEOs of major corporations. 1996.

STUDY ON "OVER-MATURED" CITIES IN THE UNITED STATES

Fuji Research Institute Corporation (FRI) asked IPA to research the future of New York City and other U.S. cities with aging populations and deteriorating infrastructure, which FRI defines as "over-matured." The study will be used for comparisons with cities in Japan facing similar urban problems. Statistics used in the project include post-1950 demographic data in the Tri-State Region, demographic data for individuals at or over age 65 in the Tri-State Region broken down by county at five-year intervals, post-1950 population migration in the Tri-State Region broken down by county at five-year intervals, and the number of skilled employees in the Tri-State Region in business services such as finance, insurance, real estate, marketing, and advertising. 1996.
Contact: Kozo Aoyama

URBAN ISSUES IN OLYMPIC GAMES SITING

A delegation from Osaka, Japan visited Atlanta, the site of the 1996 Summer Olympics, to meet with the public and private partners involved in planning the games. IPA helped the delegation study the "character of a city" that attracts people, business, and cultural activities. IPA also examined how Atlanta won the bid for the Olympics, the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce's role in supporting the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG), the ACOG's structural organization and budget, and volunteerism in Atlanta during the Olympic Games. Subsequent to this study, the City of Osaka decided to submit a bid for the 2008 Olympic Games. In anticipation of the submission to the International Olympic Committee, the Osaka Gas Company asked IPA to study several topics related to the economic impacts of the 1996 Olympic Games on the Atlanta region. In addition to learning more about direct economic effects on Atlanta and the surrounding communities, Osaka Gas wants to understand the residents' perceptions of those effects. 1995-96.

THE ROLE OF UTILITY COMPANIES IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

In a comparative study for a Japanese electric utility company, IPA researched the economic development role played by utility companies in several regions in the United States, including the San Francisco Bay Area, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Seattle, and Atlanta. These case studies covered specific details of collaboration between utilities, the private sector, and local government. Results examined specifics such as public-private partnerships and growth management. 1994-95. Contact: Kozo Aoyama

INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT IN A WORLD CITY

With the completion of the Kansai International Airport last year, Osaka City, a business center in the Kansai region of Japan, is becoming an international center. IPA conducted a study to share lessons learned from a long-established world city, New York. The study examined international economic development strategies in New York City and New York State; infrastructure projects important for an international economy, including airports; and issues regarding internationalization in New York. 1995.
Contact: Kozo Aoyama

MULTIMEDIA IN THE U.S. AND JAPAN

IPA examined the opportunities for local governments to utilize public access television channels. Case studies of U.S. models were prepared and compiled with findings from Japan. The Kobe Urban Institute of Research conducted the Japanese research. 1995-96.
Contact: Kozo Aoyama

COMPARATIVE EXPERIENCE IN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

A high level delegation organized by the Samsung Research Institute of Korea recently visited IPA to learn more about IPA's work in Kobe, Japan, and to discuss the U.S. experience with disaster preparedness and emergency management. 1995.

GREAT HANSHIN (KOBE) EARTHQUAKE RECOVERY PROJECT

Following the Great Hanshin earthquake which struck Kobe, Japan on January 17, 1995, IPA was given an emergency assignment related to the urgent recovery and rebuilding needs in Kobe and adjacent cities. IPA examined how governments, private companies, and utilities worked together to rebuild Los Angeles after the Northridge earthquake in 1994, and the San Francisco Bay area after the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989. 1995.
Contact: Kozo Aoyama

PUBLIC WORKS IN THE U.S. AND JAPAN

IPA arranged a three year project for an exchange and dialogue of public works officials in the U.S. and Japan. The project was in collaboration with the American Public Works Association and the Research Institute of Construction and Economy which is headquartered in Tokyo. IPA President David Mammen led delegations of public works experts to the U.S. and Japan, for examination of public works such as highways, transit, solid waste and sewerage systems, and bridges. 1990-93.
Contact: David Mammen

SOCIETAL CONTRIBUTIONS BY UTILITY COMPANIES

IPA studied the American experience with electric utilities' contributions to societies in the East Coast region, particularly contributions in economic development, cultural activities and sports. This study was conducted in partnership with the Forum for Regional Policy and Planning, a think-tank in Tokyo. 1995.
Contact: Kozo Aoyama

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FOR UTILITY COMPANIES

IPA prepared a report illustrating the application of information technology among utilities in the United States, especially in retaining and attracting customers. The report defines the most advanced information and communications technologies used by utility companies, identifies trends toward utility investment in information technology, and illustrates how utilities are using the internet to enhance operations and improve customer service. The report, prepared for a Japanese electric utility company, looks ahead at emerging technologies, such as on-line energy trading systems, and predicts how they may shape the industry in the future. 1996.

FINANCIAL INCENTIVES FOR DISASTER MITIGATION

IPA conducted a study of the United States experience in offering financial incentives to property owners and governments for disaster mitigation. The study included incentives in California for preparing buildings, infrastructure, and organizational systems in anticipation of earthquakes. The analysis, conducted for the Japan Development Bank, examined building codes and standards, legislation affecting the enforcement of the codes, and organizations involved in disaster planning and recovery. 1995.

URBAN WHITE PAPER ON TOKYO METROPOLIS

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Bureau of City Planning engaged IPA to collect comparative information on a variety of development issues in New York City. IPA examined topics such as land use, community development, housing development in business districts, contextual zoning, and preservation of open spaces in the metropolitan region. 1989-90.
Contact: David Mammen

STUDY OF TOKYO AS A WORLD CITY

IPA President David Mammen examined planning and development issues facing Tokyo as a world city, with comparisons to New York and London. His report was published in English and Japanese by the National Institute for Research Advancement. 1988-89.
Contact: David Mammen

EARTHQUAKE RECOVERY IN KOBE

A few months after the Great Hanshin Earthquake, IPA assembled two international teams to advise on the recovery of Kobe, Japan. Urban planners from the U.S., Sweden, England, Singapore, Korea, China and Japan visited Kobe for briefings, discussions and site visits to the damaged areas. The teams made several suggestions for recovery efforts at public meetings. Seen from an international perspective, the earthquake revealed "faults" in some of Japan's underlying frameworks and systems, including complicated layers of land ownership and tenure, and a pattern of intergovernmental relations that gives a strong hand to central government bureaucrats at the expense of local initiative. The teams urged that in the process of recovery and reconstruction, new ideas about the implications of these underlying frameworks be considered. 1995.
Contact: David Mammen

Related IPA Publication:

"International Team of Planners Looks at Kobe's Recovery" by David Mammen (PDF Format)

KAZAKHSTAN:

NATIONAL BUDGETING IN KAZAKHSTAN

IPA provided technical assistance in budgeting to Kazakhstan's Ministry of Finance (MOF), focusing on the implementation of the new Budget System Law. This work led to significant reform of the MOF's Budget Department, including: improvement of budget management and analysis practices; more consistent monitoring of the implementation of the budget; the introduction and implementation of the MOF's new budget classification system; the strengthening of financial control and reporting processes at the local level; and the launching of a Performance Budgeting for Education Program to help the Ministries of Finance and Education develop a nationwide performance management system for education. This project was funded by USAID and was conducted in cooperation with the Barents Group of KPMG. 1997-1998.
Contact: Lizabeth Kingsley

LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT AGENCY TRAINING FOR KAZAKHSTAN, UZBEKISTAN, AND BELARUS

IPA and the Institute for Training & Development provided a study tour in Labor and Employment Agency Training for government officials from Belarus. The participants, senior level managerial officials of the Belarus Employment Service, included both central and local government representatives. IPA Associates William Grinker and Thomas McEnery instructed the group on many aspects of labor and employment training in New York City, including intergovernmental relations, budgeting, administration, and finance. The study tour was repeated for a group of Central Asian government officials, from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The participants included employees of Ministries of Labor and Regional Employment Centers in both republics. 1995-96.
Contact: Lizabeth Kingsley

LOCAL GOVERNMENT TRAINING IN UKRAINE AND KAZAKHSTAN

IPA participated with the International Executive Service Corps in the development of local government training and the arrangement of internships for local and regional officials in Kharkiv, Ukraine and Alma Ata, Kazakhstan. 1992-93.

KOREA:

DECENTRALIZATION AND ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM IN KOREA

IPA President David Mammen visited Seoul, Korea, at the invitation of Mayor Soon Cho to give a keynote speech at conference entitled, "Seoul: Toward a Human City." New laws promoting decentralization and administrative reform are fueling Korean interest in comparative study of overseas experience. 1995.

COMPARATIVE EXPERIENCE IN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

A high level delegation organized by the Samsung Research Institute of Korea recently visited IPA to learn more about IPA's work in Kobe, Japan, and to discuss the U.S. experience with disaster preparedness and emergency management. 1995.

KYRGYZSTAN:

ETHICS AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN KYRGYZSTAN

IPA and the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas conducted a study tour for a delegation from Kyrgyzstan consisting of Kyrgyz legislators, journalists, and ministerial officials. The group studied ethics and accountability in government at the local, state, county, and federal levels. 1995.
Contact: Lizabeth Kingsley

MONGOLIA:

ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM WORKSHOP FOR MONGOLIA

IPA provided management development support to the Institute for Administrative Management Development in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Workshops and seminars were designed to assist the government in implementing its decentralization and enterprise management improvement programs. As part of this effort, Dwight Ink, President Emeritus of IPA, delivered a seminar on administrative reform and reorganization. 1990.

DECENTRALIZATION IN MONGOLIA

IPA conducted a comprehensive review of the implementation of the UNOPS/UNDP-funded Decentralization and Democracy Support Program in Mongolia and developed recommendations for its future strategy. The primary intent of this specific project was twofold: to develop strategies to strengthen local administrations' capacities to respond to communities' needs; and to further the establishment of a functional, supportive working relationship between local and national authorities based on a national consensus on the methodology for moving forward the program of decentralization and self-governance in Mongolia. IPA Senior Associate Graham Watt served as a consultant to the program. He conducted a comprehensive review of progress made in implementing the program, and developed recommendations for advancing the program forward. Mr. Watt interviewed over 75 members of the national and local government and NGO representatives, and visited 3 pilot municipalities. 1998.

PHILIPPINES:

BATANGAS PORT DEVELOPMENT PROJECT IN THE PHILIPPINES

IPA provided technical assistance to the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) in a new port development project in Batangas City, The Philippines. Pacific Consultants International (PCI) asked IPA to provide an expert social development planner to manage resettlement issues. IPA Associate Hans Spiegel provided technical assistance to the PPA in Batangas City in conjunction with a local consulting firm and NGO. 1996-97.
Contact: Yoshihiro Asano

TURKMENISTAN:

BUDGETING FOR TURKMENISTAN

IPA and the Institute for Training & Development provided a recent study tour in government budgeting techniques for government officials from Turkmenistan, a republic in Central Asia. The Turkmens took part in a training program regarding budgeting practices at the local, state, and federal level. IPA Associate Bernard Rosen, former NYC First Deputy Budget Director, led the program in New York City. 1996.
Contact: Lizabeth Kingsley

BUDGETING SYSTEMS IN TURKMENISTAN

Performance budgeting is an important component of public sector governance and a key area of IPA expertise. Working as a team with staff of the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Turkmenistan, a team of IPA staff and associates focused on improving the performance of budgetary process. Their work helped to: establish a new classification system for revenue and expenditures; develop standards and processes for multi-year investment performance budgeting; provide guidelines for improved financial management and internal control; and prepare an annual budget process law. The IPA team also helped improve the capacity of the central government for macro-economic policy making and intergovernmental financial management. Related training was provided to both central and local governmental units. IPA worked with Booz Allen & Hamilton on this USAID-funded project. 1998-1999.
Contact: Patrick Sommerville

UZBEKISTAN:

NATIONAL BUDGETING IN UZBEKISTAN

Rudy Runko serves as IPA's Budget Advisor to the Government of Uzbekistan. He recently drafted the State Finance Law for the Ministry of Finance, which includes provisions for a budget classification system, an annual budget planning process, and a long-term capital plan. Mr. Runko, the former Budget Director for New York State, considers an essential objective for the project to be the development of a local staff well-trained in program analysis. Currently, government spending is not subject to significant evaluation or objective review. 1995-98.
Contact: Lizabeth Kingsley

LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT AGENCY TRAINING FOR KAZAKHSTAN, UZBEKISTAN, AND BELARUS

IPA and the Institute for Training & Development provided a recent study tour in Labor and Employment Agency Training for government officials from Belarus. The participants, senior level managerial officials of the Belarus Employment Service, included both central and local government representatives. IPA Associates William Grinker and Thomas McEnery instructed the group on many aspects of labor and employment training in New York City, including intergovernmental relations, budgeting, administration, and finance. The study tour was repeated for a group of Central Asian government officials, from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The participants included employees of Ministries of Labor and Regional Employment Centers in both republics. 1995-96.
Contact: Lizabeth Kingsley

NATIONAL BUDGETING IN UZBEKISTAN

IPA Senior Staff member Rudy Runko assisted Uzbekistan's Ministry of Finance in the development of transparent budgeting and treasury systems. As IPA Resident Advisor for four years ending in 1999, Mr. Runko achieved significant results. Among them are the drafting of a State Finance Law on budgetary processes and a new Treasury Law; the development of a revenue and expenditure classification system and new agency program structures; the development and management of a number of training seminars for Ministry of Finance officials on topics including program analysis and evaluation, local government budgeting, and the proposed State Finance and Treasury Laws. In addition, he assisted in the preparation of a new edition of the Uzbekistan Budget Analyst's Manual, which was translated into Russian and Uzbek. This project was funded by USAID. IPA's partner in this project was the Barents Group of KPMG. 1995-98
Contact: Patrick Sommerville

West Bank:

LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND CAPACITY BUILDING PROJECT IN THE PALESTINIAN WEST BANK

IPA Senior Staff Leonardo Romeo led a team of local and regional consultants in the preparation of the "Local Infrastructure and Capacity Building Project" (LICP) in the Palestinian West Bank. The project, financed through a 5.7 million US$ grant of the Belgian Technical Cooperation (BTC), provided financial and technical assistance to selected Palestinian Village Councils, the local authorities responsible for most basic services delivery in the West Bank. The project had two components. The first one supported immediate investments in critically needed local/rural infrastructure, ranging from repair of village roads and power distribution networks, to construction of kindergartens and integrated community service centers. The second one strengthened the institutions of good local governance by piloting a financial mechanism for modest but predictable annual transfers of resources for development spending to Village Councils and the parallel extension of technically sound and participatory local planning, programming and budgeting methods. In spite of the enormous difficulties due to the ongoing conflict in the area, the LICP, approved by the BTC at the end of 2001, is currently under implementation in selected villages of the West Bank. 2001.

Contact: Patrick Sommerville