Evaluation of International Development Programs in Less-Developed Countries and Improving Governance and Security

Public financial management (PFM) reform offer a potent example of the complexities inherent in attempting to foment change in the face of vested political and economic stakeholders. Because PFM reforms target lucrative and often corrupt financial systems with deep roots in a country’s power center, such initiatives are often vehemently opposed by domestic policy-makers.

The final Capstone report thus examines cases of both successful and failed PFM reform programs to glean lessons in how to structure innovative assistance models, the challenges that are commonly encountered, and tried solutions for overcoming such obstacles. The case studies investigate three countries at different points on the spectrum of post-conflict recovery: Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In each case, unique conditions dictated nuanced responses from international donors, with varying degrees of success. Despite the complexities of each case, common themes arise from the assessments of the technical assistance programs rolled out in each country, suggesting that compelling lessons exist for constructing assistance programs in post-conflict and fragile countries. The report concludes by setting forth several of these lessons and draws connections between PFM and security sector reforms, which are of primary relevance to the work of the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA).