The Africa Social Protection Unit and the Social Safety Nets Team in the Social Protection & Labor Sector of the Human Development Network are pleased to sponsor a presentation by

Robert Chase, Lead Social Protection Specialist (AFTSP)

Chair: Lynne Sherburne-Benz, Sector Manager (AFTSP)

Abstract

Since its inception in 2006, the Ethiopia Protection of Basic Service (PBS) program has attracted attention.  Several factors explain why.

• The program is ambitious: with nationwide reach in Africa's second most populous country, it arguably reaches more than 70 million beneficiaries, seeking to expand access and improve quality of basic services in education, health, agriculture, water supply and sanitation and rural roads while enhancing local transparency and accountability for service delivery.
• PBS delivers results. The Net primary enrollment rate increased from 68.5 percent in 2005 to 83.5 percent in 2009 by supporting local government hiring of an additional 264,000 primary school teachers.  Child immunization rate increased from 70 (2005) to 81.6 (2009) through placement of 35,000 health extension worker nationwide.
• It involves big money. From 2006 to 2012, the PBS program is planned to involve more than USD$6 billion: the Ethiopian Government contributes more than $4 billion and 11 development partners contribute more than $2 billion.  IDA so far has committed and disbursed nearly $1 billion; with planned PBS 2 Additional Financing, PBS 2 will be one of the largest (if not the largest) operation in IDA history.
• It partners closely with an impressive and complicated client: according to an ODI study, Ethiopia is making the third fastest progress towards reaching the MDGs.  It sits in a strategically important, "bad neighborhood".  And the ruling party won 535 of 537 seats in May Parliamentary elections.
• The PBS program takes an innovative operational approach. PBS 2 includes two types of sub-programs: (i) a high-volume, fast-disbursing sub-program that finances recurrent expenditures for basic services at sub-national levels based on adherence to shared program principles; and (ii) a comprehensive series of capacity building sub-programs to strengthen transparency and accountability systems.  As the Bank has moved forward with its Investment Lending Review, the PBS operations were cited as examples for development of a results based lending instrument.

The webinar included a presentation of the PBS Program by the Task Team Leader and then a discussion of the context and principles that supported the PBS program.

Download the presentation (356kb pdf) 

Watch the on-line broadcast 

About the Presenter
 
Robert Chase is a Lead Social Protection Economist based in Ethiopia.  He is the Task Team Leader for the PBS Program and Ethiopia HD Sector Leader.  Prior to joining the Africa Region he was a Lead Social Development Specialist in the SDV anchor focusing on, among other issues, community driven development.  He holds a PhD in Economics from Yale University.