In Building State Capability, the dynamics of ensuring the successful implementation of carefully crafted policies is explored. While alluding to the fact that sometimes, these policies may meet the preexisting criteria of development organizations, the authors examine the issues which lead to different results in various countries depending on their level of development.
Dan Honig explores similar issues when he asserts that development organizations will be more impactful by giving greater levels of freedom to their employees in the process of implementation of projects. These employees can use “soft information” i.e context-based information to achieve the best possible results. He also argues that focusing more on quantitative results in measuring performance may hinder the capacities of the field staff from using their initiatives in achieving organizational goals.
I appreciated the identification of the role which capabilities of countries play in the implementation of policies, particularly because my project seeks to explore how the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) can be successful in the face of the developmental challenges facing the continent. As a development professional from Nigeria, my reality is that implementation is the graveyard of many policies. I believe this is because we simply do not have the structures or capacity to implement.
An integral factor for a successful trade agreement is the existence of infrastructure to support trade and investment. If several African countries are unable to deliver basic services such as mail delivery, concerns must be raised about the reality with respect to the ease of doing business. Interestingly, the headquarters of the AfCFTA is in Ghana, I only hope the mail system has evolved since the research on the efficiency of their system was conducted.
The AfCFTA is currently undergoing its first implementation plan[1], and this will end in 2023. Another issue explored by the authors is that such time mark set for projects must be used to build the capacities of the state. The authors advise that priorities should be on solving problems strategically, with home grown solutions and the securing the support of all stakeholders, rather than importing solutions. It is in the process of achieving little successes that states begin to build capabilities. Having beautifully crafted policies that lacks the force of implementation was referred to as a “technique of successful failure.”
With respect to examining the issue of Monopoly which many public sector agencies who have the primary responsibility of giving power to the agreement have, the focus must be on ensuring that competition is promoted so only the best can thrive. As Africa commence the implementation of AfCFTA, my reflection from the authors ideas is that success in projects of this nature only occur if standardized quality and accountability requirements are adopted. I believe such approach will ensure competition among countries.
The AFTCA is an example of a global agenda which has been adopted by African leaders, the authors remind us of the need for the integration of all stakeholders from the national to local levels. The success of the agreement will be based heavily on the commitment of member countries through their leaders[2]. As observed based on the results of previous similar agendas, challenges with the local experimentation process perpetuates the dysfunction which occurs in states building their capacities. All relevant stakeholders must as such be incorporated in the implementation to ensure the success of the agreement.
Considering that many of the African countries already have a poor budget constraint and simply do not have the revenue to create a lot of desired changes, I agree with the authors that overburdening them may not be the right approach and our strategy should be to break down the task to smaller manageable pieces and set agendas in line with that reality.
My concluding reflection is from the perspectives of both books on the importance of engaging the local context on developmental issues. I agree that in instances where a project is focused on logistical tasks, quantitative data can be used to measure performance, but in other instances where impact is the goal, accountability must prioritize the level of impact.
[1] http://sdg.iisd.org/commentary/policy-briefs/african-continental-free-trade-area-completes-first-month-of-trading/ , accessed on 12th April, 2021 [2] https://www.un.org/africarenewal/news/afcfta-implementation-conditions-success , accessed on 12th April, 2021.
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