Internet Technology, Social Media and Decentralization: Progress and Prospects?

[FitzFord]

A long standing set of issues in the design and management of decentralized public management and finance systems are the difficulties of determining local priorities, estimating the cost of implementation and management of services, monitoring investment and operating costs of services, monitoring the utilization of services and determing success of, and satisfaction with, services provided.

The use of internet-based/related technology and social media is being examined and tested as means of monitoring and communication between central and local agencies and between users, communities and officials. I strongly suspect that interest and utization is likely to grow, and rapidly. I think it would be beneficial to the PFM Board community to accumulate and share knowledge and experiences with this development.

I would propose that we begin to collect a "reference library" of systems, sources, country applications and experiences in this arena. If the response from you is significantly positive, we should determine how best to organize the material. Meanwhile, what do our participants currently know, by way of experience or references?

Fitz.

[John Short]

Fitz
I think there are three things here -
1. One good financial information system that manages the cash flow, commitment control, accounts and reporting system at local level that is on line and operates in real time. 
2. A budget preparation system that links local priorities to resources allocation - or drives it, and
3. The monitoring and evaluation that ascertains whether that happens. 

All three (may) have different requirements to fit into your desired template.  Kosovo's IFMIS (or KFMIS) manages the first pretty well down to the smallest municipality.  The recent municipal PEFAs there have shown weaknesses in the other two, but I have yet to see them in place elsewhere anyway.

[FitzFord]

John, I agree with your 3 items as main components of an overall system, and in my experience, the first item is the one that is most often attempted in one form or the other, with various levels of completeness or success. Is documentation of the Kosovo system (of manageable size) accessible?
Theoretically, the second item should be the first element of the overall system, but so far I do not know of a well-regarded experience in design and/or execution.
There are also, some emerging experiences with partial application (Health  Services, for example) of Item 3. Does anyone else have other examples?

Fitz.

[John Short]

Fitz,

On the IT board here

http://pfmboard.com/index.php?topic=106.msg616#msg616

[FitzFord]

John,

Good stuff. I gave it a quick read (including follow-up comments) and will return to it for a more careful and detailed read, then add more comments and no doubt, ask more questions.

Fitz.