Who Takes a Seat at the Pro-Poor Table?: Civil Society Participation in the Honduran Poverty Reduction Strategy

Abstract

Although much has been written on civil society participation in the formula- tion and monitoring of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs), very little system- atic and scientifi c evidence exists on the kind of organizations that participate and the elements that explain their involvement in these processes. This article considers one country case, Honduras, for which survey data were gathered from 101 civil society organizations (CSOs) in 2006. This study examines the characteristics these organiza- tions display which explain (non)participation in the next participatory round of the PRSPs. The fi ndings challenge some of the by now widely accepted ideas relating to the kinds of organizations involved in PRSP processes. The idea that predominantly urban- based, highly professional, well-funded, donor-bred-and-fed nongovernmental organiza- tions participate is too blunt. The Honduran case shows that the players in participative processes are more diversifi ed than much of the current literature on PRSPs suggests. CIVIL SOCIETY PARTICIPATION UNDER THE NEW AID APPROACH: RATIONALE AND STATE OF THE ART The World Bank launched the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) in 1999, and it soon became the linchpin of a new aid approach. The principles of this new aid approach emphasize the importance of recipient ownership over national development strategies, pro-poor results, and civil society involvement in draft- ing and monitoring poverty reduction strategies. The production of such a PRSP gave access to debt relief, concessional assistance from the international fi nancial institutions (IFIs), and more aid from the larger donor community. Moreover, the PRSP was promoted as a medium- and long-term national economic and social policy planning instrument (Lazarus 2008). The new aid approach indicates a de- sire to move away from donor-driven development to give more room to home- grown, government-led, and nationally owned poverty reduction strategies. One of the most remarkable issues in the PRSP was the participation condi- tionality. Governments had to consult civil society during the formulation of the fi rst PRSP draft, and participation had to become institutionalized through