On the one hand it's an ADB-Bappenas technical assistance project that will "contribute to improvement of access of the poor to quality social services and infrastructure." But more than that, pro-poor planning & budgeting seems like an operational answer to questions like "how can we make sure that the government is taking MDGs seriously?" Especially given that planning documents are usually very general/thematic with no specifically measurable targets and not linked to budgeting process, etc. etc.
So what makes a plan and budget "pro-poor"? The project team said there are four indicators:
- it answers the root causes of poverty
- it will have impact on improvement of poor people's lives (as stated in MDGs or government mid-term development plans)
- its targets are majority poor
- the poor are included in the planning & budgeting process
thing is, i suspect, fundamentally pro poor planning is that same as "pro rich planning". it's not a zero sum game.
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