Working Paper
Poverty-Reducing Institutional Change and PRSP Processes

This paper assesses the preparation of Ghana’s Poverty Reduction Strategy paper (GPRS), paying particular attention to its likely influence on the institutionalisation of anti-poverty measures in the country’s political economy. After examining contextual factors, it analyses the strengths and weaknesses of the GPRS processes, including the responses of donors and the extent to which the GPRS will result from wider consultation and participation. It also examines its monitoring and informational aspects. It concludes that the process has much potential value but has also contained serious weaknesses, including poor integration into governmental decision processes, an ownership too narrowly grounded in the central government and very weak arrangements for monitoring and implementation.