The Institute of Public Administration (IPA) has been a leader in good-governance reforms in the U.S. and around the world for decades. Its work in design and implementation of integrity and accountability programs utilizes comparative and participatory approaches. Working overseas, IPA applies wide experience and information on American and European approaches, including a network of state and federal associates and programs, to meaningful partnerships with host country participants to build on local values, stakeholders, and legal frameworks. In an illustration of this approach, IPA has applied its experience redesigning procurement and contracting systems in U.S. state and local government to partnerships with groups and governments in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Macedonia, Indonesia, and Poland. IPA has helped to organize and lead international conferences and seminars on ethics in government and anti-corruption approaches. In 1994, IPA published International Conference on Ethics and Government, the proceedings of an important anti-corruption conference attended by delegates from 49 countries. IPA staff and associates have participated in programs to increase local and intergovernmental accountability in Central and Eastern Europe, Central and South Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

IPA contributes to strengthening governmental integrity through work on public service merit systems, ethics and conflict of interest codes, financial disclosure provisions, administrative and legal frameworks for transparency and public participation, public-private partnerships (including contracting and procurement, public enterprise management and monitoring), financial management and accounting, enforcement and judicial reforms.

Collaborative work in these areas includes technical assistance and advisory services for drafting laws, regulation and reorganization plans; workshops, seminars, and other training methods with emphasis on training-of-trainers; facilitation of local strategic planning and consensus building; and research, analysis and reporting on existing systems with recommendations for change. IPA has partnered with state agencies and ministries, local governments, non-governmental groups, education and training institutions.

IPA offers a cadre of staff and associates who combine hands-on management with international experience. They are lawyers; managers; teachers and trainers; experts in accountancy, budgeting and intergovernmental finance; and professionals in local government and community development.

IPA's experience and expertise contributing to Government Integrity include three broad areas of focus--all of them components of the projects illustrated below.

1. Public Administration and Management Reforms, with major anti-corruption implications.

• Reforming civil service systems to establish open, fair and merit based principles and practices, minimizing favoritism, abuse and waste of public resources in the public service.
• Strengthening financial management, particularly transparent budgeting, accurate accounting, reliable performance auditing, and routinized intergovernmental finances.
• Building local government capabilities and citizen participation in local affairs, assuring accountable and responsive governance.
• Restructuring procurement, concessions, and customs to develop open, fair and competitive relationships between government and the private sector. There are both anti-corruption and management aspects to these efforts.

2. Legal and Ethical Frameworks

• Collaborative Legal Code drafting of conflict of interests and anti-corruption provisions.
• Helping to develop administrative procedures that provide for transparency, accountability, and oversight. These include notice and comment, freedom of information, public hearings, administrative appeals, and improved access for public and media involvement in government. Developing strategies for implementation and enforcement and for institutionalization of ethics dialogues and procedures.

3. Training and Public Education

• Collaboratively designing and delivering of workshops, conferences and formal training.
• Training of trainers and institution building for continuing learning and public dialogue on attitudes toward and definitions of corruption and the positive responsibilities of public service.

Relevant Projects:

CROATIA LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM PROJECT

In 2001, IPA's International program began working with the Croatian Parliament and municipalities to undertake civil service reform and financial management capacity, and to foster a more responsive political process. IPA has also been working with municipalities conducting training for local government officials throughout the country on financial management to assist local government and to be as independent from central government budgeting mechanisms as possible. This work has included developing a model for financial analysis, to assist local governments in becoming familiar with budget preparation and execution, to be trial tested in four cities. Additional work included providing support to municipalities that had been enabled by a 1993 Constitutional amendment that enabled them to propose legislation, to referendum and to create civic organizations. The project also focused on reviewing and evaluating draft versions of legislation and the rights of public officials in local and regional self-government and on local civil servants and laborers. 2001 to present.

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REFORM PROGRAM FOR MACEDONIA

As part of a USAID-funded Public Administration Reform Project in Macedonia, IPA worked with the Ministry of Justice and the Law Faculty of Macedonia's major university to draft the country's first conflict of interest law for government employees, which Parliament is expected to pass as part of a broader anti-corruption law. IPA advisors drafted ethics codes for Macedonia's Central Bank in response to a national banking scandal, the Customs Service, and the Police unit of the Ministry of the Interior. The IPA team conducted numerous training workshops using conflict of interest case studies for ministry, customs and police officials. In addition, IPA arranged meetings for the Macedonian Minister of Justice with U.S. Attorney Janet Reno and the Office of Government Ethics as part of an IPA managed U.S. study tour. 1996-98.

UGANDA LOCAL GOVERNMENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

As part of the World Bank's Uganda Local Development Program, IPA provided technical assistance to the City of Kampala to reform municipal financial management procedures and implement new systems. Work included analyzing the legal framework which established the City of Kampala's general accounting and purchasing procedures, conducting a needs assessment to update the city's financial management, procurement, and inventory systems, and setting requirements for the purchase of new systems. Wrote a Request for Proposals for a municipal accounting, management information and reporting system for the City of Kampala, a city of 1.5 million people organized into 5 districts and 100 parishes for the collection of revenue and delivery of city services, with an annual budget of approximately $40 million. Further tasks included development of procurement criteria to qualify potential vendors to respond to RFPs, a survey of existing information technology capability including hardware, software, and infrastructure, analysis of existing financial management, purchasing, inventory and reporting systems, development of a long-range Information Technology Plan, survey of existing vendors and products in the marketplace, development of an implementation plan and time table for the selection of a vendor, modification of vendor products, installation of hardware and software, acceptance testing and product implementation. 2000.

ANTI-CORRUPTION IN BOSNIA

IPA provided technical assistance to assess existing legislation and government systems related to public sector accountability and recommended legal and institutional reforms. This work was funded by USAID, in partnership with the Barents Group of KPMG. 1998.

ETHICS ISSUES IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT IN CZECH REPUBLIC

As part of a USAID-sponsored project to assist municipalities in the Czech Republic with implementation of the new Czech law on public procurement, IPA developed a manual for establishing administrative processes for obtaining fair and open competition in the procurement of public goods and services, and cooperated in the organization of a national conference on Conflicts of Interests. 1995-96.

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN MOLDOVA

IPA provided technical assistance to institutionalize the treasury function in the Ministry of Finance. This work involved assistance in developing the following management systems: new procedures to execute the budget; norms and procedures for internal audits; instructions for Treasury Staff, spending units, and line ministries regarding responsibilities and requirements; providing on-the-job training for these staff on expenditure approval, cash flow forecasting and management, and internal controls. The work was funded by USAID. 1994-1995.

TRAINING FOR MOLDOVA'S MINISTRY OF FINANCE

IPA and the Institute for Training and Development jointly provided a four-week training program for Moldova's Ministry of Finance. This training was focused on the responsibilities, functions and daily operations of the newly established Treasury Department. This work was designed to follow-up on previous assistance to develop central accounting, cash control, and budget classification systems for accountability of national expenditure and for providing information on monetary flows and debt analysis. The work was funded by USAID. 1994.

CIVIL SERVICE REFORM IN POLAND

In Warsaw, Poland, IPA delivered a seminar for 90 Polish public servants on the structure and management of the U.S. Civil Service. This two-day seminar assisted in the debate about the best way to approach the new civil service system in Poland. The seminar acquainted representatives of the Council of Ministers, key legislators from the committees considering administrative reform proposals, and representatives from the 49 regional districts, with key aspects of U.S. personnel management policies and practices. 1994.

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 achieve significant results, including: 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; and, 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. 1995-1999.

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.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ETHICS IN GOVERNMENT

IPA organized the International Conference on Ethics in Government in Washington, DC. Attended by delegates from 49 countries, the conference represented a variety of ethics experiences, ranging from countries with highly structured ethics codes to nascent democracies with ethics systems in conceptual stages. The conference was funded by USIA, and the proceedings are published as the International Conference on Ethics in Governance, available from IPA. 1994.

DEMOCRACY V. CORRUPTION PROGRAM FOR LATIN AMERICA

The program in Democracy v. Corruption was held for Latin American opinion leaders. The program included symposia in Ecuador and Brazil, and a study tour in the U.S. The program resulted in the formation of the Latin American Institute against Corruption. 1994-95.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ETHICS IN NEW YORK STATE

IPA assisted the Temporary New York State Commission on Local Government Ethics to make recommendations with regard to local government ethics law in New York State. IPA researched comparative legal provisions and experience with local government ethics laws; provided expert advice at meetings between the commission and local officials; assisted in drafting proposed local government ethics law and commentary; and provided expert legislative testimony. 1990-91.

GOVERNMENT INTEGRITY IN NEW YORK STATE

For the New York State Commission on Government Integrity, IPA researched conflict of interest and financial disclosure laws, campaign finance, government procurement and contracting, political patronage practices, and government structure in New York City and State. 1987-89.

STUDY OF THE NEW YORK CITY CONTRACTING PROCESS

IPA, under contract to the Office of the Mayor, reviewed New York City¡¯s contracting practices and procedures. IPA analyzed all aspects of contract management practice including: 1) the organizational structure and capacity of the contracting agency, 2) the city-wide structure and capacity form managing contracts, 3) comparative examples drawn from other cities, states, and federal practice, and 4) a review of the literature and state-of-the-art models. The study¡¯s recommendations lead to the reorganization of city-wide contracting systems. 1987-1988.