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Reforming Public Financial Management in Africa

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  • Peterson, Stephen

    (Harvard University)

Abstract

Successful public sector reform is rare in Africa. Over twelve years, Ethiopia transformed its public financial management (PFM) to international standards and now has the third best system in Africa that is managing the largest aid flows to the continent. This article presents a framework for understanding PFM reform based on the Ethiopian experience. Reforms succeed when they are aligned with the four drivers of public sector reform: COPS--context, ownership, purpose and strategy. Public financial management is a core function of the state and its sovereignty and it is not an appropriate arena for foreign aid intervention--governments must fully own it, which was a key to the success of Ethiopia's reform. The purpose of PFM reform should be building stable and sustainable 'plateaus' of PFM that are appropriate to the local context and they should not be about risky and irrelevant 'summits' of international best practice. Plateaus not summits are needed in Africa. Finally, a strategy of reform has four processes: recognize, improve, change, and sustain. Ethiopia succeeded because it implemented a recognize-improve-sustain strategy to support the government policy of rapid decentralization. All too often, much of PFM reform in Africa is about the change task and climbing financial summits.

Suggested Citation

  • Peterson, Stephen, 2011. "Reforming Public Financial Management in Africa," Working Paper Series rwp10-048, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.
  • Handle: RePEc:ecl:harjfk:rwp10-048
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    File URL: https://research.hks.harvard.edu/publications/workingpapers/citation.aspx?PubId=7510&type=WPN
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Peterson, Stephen, 2010. "Rethinking the Millenium Development Goals for Africa," Working Paper Series rwp10-046, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.
    2. Peterson, Stephen Bovard, 2010. "Rethinking the Millennium Development Goals for Africa," Scholarly Articles 4621100, Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
    3. Mr. Richard I Allen, 2009. "The Challenge of Reforming Budgetary Institutions in Developing Countries," IMF Working Papers 2009/096, International Monetary Fund.
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    Cited by:

    1. Peterson, Stephen Bovard, 2011. "Why it Worked: Critical Success Factors of a Financial Reform Project in Africa," Scholarly Articles 4876869, Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
    2. Roll, Michael, 2021. "Institutional change through development assistance: The comparative advantages of political and adaptive approaches," IDOS Discussion Papers 28/2021, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).

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