Policies in Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers: dominance or diversity?

Abstract

Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) were introduced in 1999 by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund as a requirement for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPCs) to gain access to debt relief and concessional loans. They signalled a new focus by including a participatory framework of “nationally driven” policies. Employing 81 PRSPs for 58 countries, published during 2000–2008, this paper develops a unique scorecard to evaluate the alignment of policies in PRSPs with three dominant development paradigms. It finds that the New York Consensus, which was forged around the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), is driving the content of PRSPs, while the Washington Consensus and Post-Washington Consensus have become secondary influences. This could be the first step in breaking down the hegemony of perceived ideas in the development policy landscape.