What is so wrong with the Poverty Reduction Strategies?
The World Bank claims that Poverty Reduction Strategies are written and developed by developing countries themselves and that they are “nationally owned”. In Ghana’s case, the claim that the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) is “nationally owned” or that this pro-poor framework is a partnership between the government of Ghana, Western donors, international NGOs and the World Bank group is absurd. A cursory read of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers from countries with HIPC status will demonstrate how all of these supposedly national documents in fact conform to donor priorities, proving the PRSPs are actually authored in the capitals of the West. While nine out of ten PRSPs uphold privatisation, every PRSP scrupulously itemizes “participation” and “poverty reduction” as priorities for poor countries. If a PRSP is considered “off-message” (that is, if it does not meet Western donor priorities) it is not unknown for the boards of the World Bank and IMF to return it for rewriting, as
Related Questions
- Should the roles of companies and foundations be harmonized with the individual country MDG-related poverty reduction strategies?
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- Why is the urban environment important to poverty reduction?
