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COUNTRY OUTLOOKS - EUROPE |
ALBANIA:DECENTRALIZATION AND LOCAL AUTONOMY IN ALBANIAA partnership between The Urban Institute and the Albanian National Committee for decentralization produced a national strategy for decentralization and local autonomy for Albania. The strategy was a shared vision backed by consensus of central and local officials, private and community groups to guide long-term changes that reach toward the principles of the Charter of Local Self-Government of the Council of Europe. IPA Associate Drew Horgan spent time in Albania participating in a conference commenting on the strategic plan. IPA Associate Larry Schroeder of the Maxwell School visited Albania during the summer of 2000 to work on the implementation of the plan's intergovernmental finance elements. This work was being performed in conjunction with The Urban Institute. BELARUS:LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT AGENCY TRAINING FOR KAZAKSTAN, UZBEKISTAN, AND BELARUSIPA 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 Kazakstan and Uzbekistan. The participants included employees of Ministries of Labor and Regional Employment Centers in both republics. 1995-96. ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM IN BELARUSDwight Ink, President Emeritus of IPA, and IPA Senior Associate Herbert Jasper advised the Government of Belarus on its governmental structures and executive/ministerial relationships. The project was requested by the Chairman, Supreme Soviet of Belarus, to advise the newly-established Institute for State Development and Legislation on equipping itself to serve the legislative research and development needs of the Supreme Soviet. These needs had undergone a radical change with the declaration of independence and the desire for some measure of political and economic reform. 1993. BOSNIA:PUBLIC SECTOR ACCOUNTING SYSTEMS IN BOSNIAIPA is leading a team of professionals in developing improved public sector accounting systems with government officials in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzogovina and the Republika Srpska. IPA staff member Rudy Runko is Chief of Party on this project. On behalf of the prime contractor Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Emerging Markets, IPA directs a multi-disciplinary team whose tasks include: assessing current governmental accounting and budgeting policies and procedures; developing a new, integrated financial management system; and providing technical support and training in the use of the new system. The newly implemented systems have centralized financial management and control in the respective Treasury organization of each government, providing increased transparency of public finances, more accountability for public spending, the potential for better auditing, improved reporting, information on accruals, and greater overall controls through the closing of agency bank accounts and the establishment of treasury single accounts. Due to the project's success the project donor, USAID, has authorized an expansion of the project's scope and increase in its budget and duration. 1999-present. ANTI-CORRUPTION ASSISTANCE IN BOSNIAIn a short-term visit to Bosnia, IPA Associate and legal expert Stephen Mansfield outlined priority legislative, institutional and systematic reforms, as well as other actions necessary, to promote public sector accountability and counter fraud and corruption in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Mr. Mansfield prepared his report for Bosnia's Prime Minister, the Anti-Corruption Commission of the House of Representatives, and the Presidents of both Houses of the Federation Parliament. His work relates to two overall USAID objectives for Bosnia: improving macroeconomic policy decision making and implementation, and increasing government capacity to facilitate and implement sound macroeconomic policies. 1998. CROATIA:CROATIA LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM PROJECTIn 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 worked with municipalities conducting training for 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. CZECH REPUBLIC:PUBLIC PROCUREMENT IN THE CZECH REPUBLICIPA assisted local governments in the Czech Republic to improve procurement systems for public goods and services. IPA developed a manual for establishing administrative processes for obtaining fair and open competition, and cooperated in the organization of a national conference on Conflicts of Interests. An intensive training-of-trainers program institutionalized a training course in procurement systems at both the University of Pardubice and the Fund for the Development of Local Administration. IPA Associate and procurement specialist, Harold Leatherby, completed technical assistance in 5 cities (Decin, Pardubice, Plzen, Olomouc, and Liberec) to advise and assist with procurement for such items as vehicles, construction, heavy equipment, and maintenance services. 1995-1996. Related IPA Publication:"Privatization: Implications for Public Management" by Annmarie H. Walsh (PDF Format) LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN SLOVAKIA AND THE CZECH REPUBLICIPA worked with Slovakia's Institute for Public Administration and the Czech Republic's Institute of Local Administration to develop training programs for new local governments. These projects aimed to build the capacity of both institutions to train locally elected officials and municipal and district managers. IPA's team worked closely with Czech and Slovak counterparts to develop appropriate course modules on town management, democratic participation in local development decisions, and approaches to contracting out government services. In addition, training of trainers and teaching materials and equipment were provided. The projects resulted in the adoption of a series of town management seminars as part of the permanent curricula of the two institutions. 1991-93. FRANCE:COMPARATIVE QUALITY OF LIFE STUDY IN JAPAN AND FRANCEThis 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. MACEDONIA:ORGANIZATIONAL ASSISTANCE TO THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF MACEDONIAIPA Associate Steve W. Wrigley made two trips to Macedonia in December 1999 and March 2000 to work with the newly elected President of Macedonia and his Chief of Staff to organize and strengthen management of the presidential office. Steve Wrigley is Director, International Development, at the University of Georgia and former Chief of Staff to the Governor of Georgia. PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REFORM IN MACEDONIAIPA is working in Macedonia on a public administration reform project designed to help Macedonia meet its essential objective of establishing a popular sense of trust in national government. The Barents Group of KPMG and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University are partners in this effort, which is a component of a USAID-awarded contract for democracy-building in Central Europe. IPA Associates Robert Pajer and Enid Beaumont are resident advisors assisting the national government to develop a modern civil service system, create an administrative code of ethics, implement a comprehensive process for administrative rule-making, and develop procedures for public participation in government decision-making. Legal and ethics specialists Elizabeth Defeis and Melvin Cooper, IPA Associates, will also assist Macedonia with these reform efforts. 1996-98. MOLDOVA:LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM IN MOLDOVAIPA Senior Staff member and Resident Advisor John Tabor recently completed an assignment as Chief of Party of a five-year Local Government Reform Project in Moldova. This project had three main tasks: help establish legislation to empower local government and implement regulations that clarify and decentralize authority to the local level; build the capacity of municipal officials to implement legislative, administrative and financial reforms through targeted training and technical assistance; and strengthen the capacity of indigenous NGOs and associations advocating local government reform while increasing public participation in the reform process. This USAID-funded work was performed in conjunction with The Urban Institute. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT IN MOLDOVAIPA and the Institute for Training and Development jointly provided a four week technical training program in 1994 for eight officials from Moldova's Ministry of Finance (including the Minister), relevant to the operation and functions of the newly established Treasury. The training was coordinated by Jonathan Gaciala, who as IPA's technical advisor in 1993-95, established the new Treasury unit in the Government of Moldova. Mr. Gaciala continues to help his Moldovan counterparts develop central accounting, cash control, and budget classification systems appropriate for accountability of national expenditure and for providing information on monetary flows and debt analysis. LEGISLATIVE BUDGETING IN MOLDOVARalph Laws served as IPA's Budget Advisor to the Parliament in Moldova, where he worked with the legislature to create a Center for Budgetary and Financial Analysis and to improve the Parliament's capabilities in budget and economic analysis. 1996-97. This assignment builds on the success of the Ministry of Finance work completed by IPA Associate Jonathan Gaciala (1993-95) who helped set up a Treasury system for Moldova. POLAND:PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION TRAINING FOR POLANDIPA arranged U.S. government internships for students from Poland's National School of Public Administration for four years; IPA Associate Dona Wolf managed the federal agency internships in Washington DC. Visits to New York City introduced the interns to government at the local level. A highlight of the 1995 program was a visit to the Greenpoint Manufacturing & Design Center in Brooklyn, a rehabilitated industrial building serving as a community cooperative for small businesses, where the interns learned about economic development efforts in an industrial area, and the impact of community involvement in local government. After graduation from the National School, the students work in Poland's senior civil service. The National School reports that, "The first studies assessing the work of the National School show that the knowledge and experience they [students] have gained in the course of their internships are widely used in their jobs." 1992-95. POLAND'S NATIONAL SCHOOL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATIONIPA worked with Poland's National School of Public Administration to develop an in-service training program for government managers, and train faculty in case study methods for Master's level courses in public administration. 1991-95. CIVIL SERVICE REFORM IN POLANDIn 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. LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN POLANDIPA worked with several regional training centers in Poland to provide training for local officials. IPA worked with Polish trainers to prepare and test workshop modules on "Professional Management" and "Roles, Responsibilities, and Relationships" in democratic local government. These courses were co-taught by IPA associates and Polish trainers-in-training at three centers cooperating with the Polish Foundation in Support of Local Democracy. 1991-93. PORTUGAL:URBAN DEVELOPMENT NEEDS IN PORTUGALIPA conducted a needs assessment of Portuguese metropolitan areas. IPA Senior Associate John Keith led the delegation to Lisbon, Coimbra and Aveiro. To address the urban growth management issues which emerged, IPA organized a two-week study tour of the northeastern U.S. for Portuguese officials and urban planners. 1991-93. RUSSIA:REDESIGNING LOCAL SOCIAL SERVICES IN RUSSIAIPA Associate Burt Richman was Chief of Party on this project to develop means based social services in four pilot Russian cities. Developing information systems, public-private contracting, and utilization of non-governmental organizations were key components. Mr. Richman came to this assignment from a career in the State of Virginia social services. This work was part of the USAID-sponsored Local Government Assistance in CEE/NIS Program, and was being performed in conjunction with the Urban Institute URBAN LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT FOR RUSSIAIPA managed three U.S. study tours for representatives of Russian cities. The participants, including government officials and real estate professionals, studied urban land use and development in a market-based economy, and the interaction of local government and the private real estate market in the U.S. Public sector training components addressed how cities manage urban land use and guide private sector development through zoning, subdivision controls, infrastructure and construction finance tools, and permitting. Private sector training elements addressed how private companies use real estate market analysis, and how they balance their efforts with the protection of public interests. 1996. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT FOR THE MOSCOW OBLASTIPA and the Barents Group collaborated on an Intergovernmental Fiscal Reform Project for the Russian Federation, aimed at helping Russian municipalities and oblasts (state level of government) implement decentralization of finances. IPA Associate Eleanor Clark, former Chief Financial Officer of the Federal Housing Administration, served as financial management advisor to the Moscow oblast. Her tasks included assessment of the Finance Committee's plans for computerization, and a requirements analysis for the Revenue Department of the Moscow oblast. 1995. SLOVAKIA:LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN SLOVAKIA AND THE CZECH REPUBLICIPA worked with the Institute for Public Administration of Slovakia and the Institute of Local Administration of the Czech Republic to develop training programs for new local governments. These projects aimed to build the capacity of both institutions to train locally elected officials and municipal and district managers. IPA's team worked closely with Czech and Slovak counterparts to develop appropriate course modules on town management, democratic participation in local development decisions, and approaches to contracting out government services. In addition, training of trainers and teaching materials and equipment were provided. The projects resulted in the adoption of a series of town management seminars as part of the permanent curricula of the two institutions. 1991-93. UKRAINE:LOCAL GOVERNMENT TRAINING IN UKRAINE AND KAZAKSTANIPA 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, Kazakstan. 1992-93. |