Multistakeholder Partnerships in ICT4D

Multi-stakeholder partnerships for
ICT4D: in whose interest?

Reflections for USAID, 27th March 2012

Tim Unwin
Chief Executive Officer
CTO

No-one ever enters a partnership without
interests!

© Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation

Outline

•  Context
•  Origins of PPPs
•  Why partnerships and ICT4D?
•  A move to MSPs
•  Key success factors
•  Defining interests
•  Will partnerships really deliver
better development outcomes
in ICT4D?


Context

•  Rural development, ICTs,
learning, Critical Theory…
•  Imfundo: Partnerships for
IT in Education (Africa)
•  World Economic Forum’s
Partnerships for Education
initiative with UNESCO
•  Systematic review for DFID
on impact of ICT4D
partnerships (2011)
•  GEI review (2012)

Origins of partnerships: Public and Private

•  A new world order: economic growth and liberal
democracy
–  Following the overthrow of the Soviet Union
•  UK Private Finance Initiative 1992
–  Investment by private sector in public infrastructure
–  Risk sharing by states with the private sector
•  A European phenomenon
–  1990-2009 1340 PPPs
•  Why should this not also work for ‘development’?
•  MDG8 target (f) – ICTs and partnerships


Early ICT development partnerships

Most were indeed Public-Private
–  Imfundo’s origins
•  Under-theorised
–  Many had little understanding of conceptual issues
•  Little empirical experience
–  Most kept reinventing the wheel (and still do!)
•  Private sector actively urging engagement with
governments
•  WSIS 2003 and 2005
–  First major UN summit with substantial private sector
engagement


These background factors have had lasting
effects on ICT4D partnerships


Why partnerships specifically in the field of
ICT4D?

•  Complexity of ICT4D initiatives
–  Need different skills sets
o  Technical
o  Development

•  Most government officials lack
understanding of technical aspects of
ICT4D
–  Thus require private sector capacity
•  Private sector driver of globalisation
–  Business solution for sustainability
•  Formalising role of WSIS


Two extreme models: circular and linear


Circular: sustainability of the
partnership

IBLF and
Ros Tennyson


Linear: focus on development impact

World
Economic
Forum’s GEI
by Tom
Cassidy


The move towards multi-stakeholder
partnerships (MSPs)
•  Some attempts to ‘impose’ a one-size fits all
model
–  But growing recognition that this is not appropriate
•  PPPs widely seen as
–  Failing to deliver in practice
–  Concerns over coalition of interests between the
private sector and the state (Martens, 2007)
•  The role of civil society
–  Central to effective ICT4D implementation
•  Increased attention to MSPs
–  And PPP now often used for contractual
arrangements


Martens’ (2007) eight risks of partnerships

•  Influence of business in shaping political
discourse
•  Risks to reputation – choosing the wrong
partner
•  Distorting competition
•  Fragmentation of global governance
•  Unstable financing
•  Dubious complementarity
•  Sensitivity – governance gaps remain
•  Trends towards elite models of governance


DFID systematic review: success factors

1.  Local context and local stakeholders involved
2.  Clear intended development outcomes
3.  Scalability and sustainability focus from start
4.  Key importance of
–  Trust
–  Honesty
–  Openness
–  Mutual understanding
–  Respect
5.  Supportive wider ICT environment


DFID systematic review: challenges with
process

•  Remarkably few good evaluations
•  Diversity of methodologies causes great
difficulties in comparing evaluations
•  Very few baseline studies
–  It is extremely difficult to say anything about impact
•  Much “wish-fulfillment”
–  Very difficult to detect wider impact and unintended
consequences
•  Success criteria vary for different partners
–  Re-emphasises concerns with “interests”


Partnership challenges: evidence from the
GEI

•  Ensuring long-term sustainability
•  Underestimating difficulty in reaching
common goals and activities
•  Balancing the different interests of the
stakeholders
•  Determining the levels of contribution
from each partner
•  Identifying the resources needed
•  Co-operation between private sector
and national bodies is needed
•  Monitoring and evaluation often left to
the end


Reflections from the GEI

•  The need for high-level leadership
•  The role of a partnership broker
–  Trusted and neutral
–  Knowledgeable about development outcomes
•  Must start with agreement on intended
development outcomes
•  Central role of government ministries
•  Effective project management
•  Adequate resourcing
•  Consistent strategy and flexible delivery
•  Effective internal and external communications


In whose interest?
•  Private Sector
–  Markets and sales
–  Innovative ideas and labour
–  Influencing geopolitical agendas
•  Governments
–  Financing and risk reduction
–  Getting re-elected
•  Civil Society
–  Raising international profiles
–  Delivering on needs of supporters
•  Bilateral donors and international agencies
–  Delivering on development agendas

If development
outcomes are
achieved, does it
matter if benefits
are unevenly
distributed?


Resolving partnership interests

•  Transparency throughout
–  Especially in interests
•  Built around resource supply
and demand framework
•  Shared agreement on
development objectives from
the very beginning
•  Clear allocation of financial
resources
•  Managing expectations


Discussion

http://turkmenistan.usembassy.gov/usaid20110719b.html


Exemplification of benefits (supply) and
needs (demand) framework


Towards a Multi-Stakeholder Partnership
model

Demand Supply partners: each has a
partners
niche role

Govern Local Private Bilateral Civil Internat-
-ments
private sector
donors
Society
ional
sector
agencies

Contributions

Expectations


The types of partner

Demand Supply
End Local Partners Funding Private Sector Civil Society Research International
Beneficiaries agencies Organisations Institutions Organisations
Local National and regional Multilateral and Companies Community action Universities; Global
communities; governments; local bilateral donors; providing groups; non- consultancies; organisations
people w ith private sector; local International hardware, governmental knowledge such as
disabilities; civil society Financial software, organisations; providers; UNESCO; GeSCI;
teachers; health organisations; religious Institutions; networking, voluntary innovators UN ICT Tas k
workers; learners groups Charitable content, organisations; Force
foundations infrastructure, international
media advocacy and
organisations relief agencies;
religious groups


Contributions and benefits

•  Partnership contributions
–  Human resources
–  Physical ICT resources
–  Social networks
–  Infrastructures
–  Financial contributions
•  Partner benefits
–  Corporate identity
–  Networking opportunities
–  Economic returns
–  Research and development opportunities


Human resource contributions

Demand Supply
End Local Partners Funding Private Civil Society Research International
Beneficiaries agencies Sector Organisations Institutions Organisations

Partnership Contributions
Human resources
§ Knowledge § Technical support § Expertise in § Staff skilled § Expertise in § Generic § Expertise in
of relevant § Indigenous ‘development in delivery of research ICT and
demands knowledges ’ practice technology practical skills ‘development’
§ Linguistic § Cultural sensitivity § Procurement § Media skills activities § Knowledge § Expertise in
skills § Linguistic skills expertise § Project § Local of delivery of
§ Cultural § Labour § Advisory manage- knowledge information educational
sensitivity § Capacity building capacity ment skills and networks and initiatives
§ Labour skills § Network § Knowledge of resources § Lobbying
§ Knowledge engineering development § Teaching expertise
of relevant skills practices and capacity
health and § Training § Project building skills
educational expertise management § Monitoring
initiatives § Research § Linguistic and
and skills evaluation
develop- § Advocacy skills
ment skills skills § Staff
§ Staff § Staff secondment
secondment secondment
§ Technical
support


Corporate Identity Benefits

Demand Supply
End Local Partners Funding Private Civil Society Research International
Beneficiaries agencies Sector Organisations Institutions Organisations

Benefits of Partnership
Corporate Identity
§ Opportunity § Raised § Opportunity § Delivery on § Delivery on § Increased § Opportunity
for international profile to deliver on Corporate core mission international to deliver o n
enhanced for local core mission Social and to reduce visibility core mission
visibility of businesses and to reduce Environment poverty § For some, to reduce
poverty organisations poverty al through ICT opportunity poverty
agendas § Through Responsibili activities to deliver on § Through local
local ty targets commitment partnerships
partnerships § Raising to helping to
helping to brand Knowledge ensure
ensure identity for All relevance
relevance international and
and ly sustainability
sustainability § Visible
contribution
to a
country’s
economy


Multistakeholder Partnerships in ICT4D

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