Administrative aspects and problems of the integratioin of social development plans with overall development planning

UNITED NATIONS

ECONOMIC

AND

SOCIAL COUNCIL

Distr.

LIMITED

E/CN. I4/SEP/8

24 September 1963 Original: ENGLISH

ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR AFRICA Meeting of Experts on the

Integration of Social Development Plans

with Overall Development Planning

Addis Ababa, 9-18 October 1963

Provisional Agenda item 6

ADMINISTRATIVE ASPECTS AND PROBLEMS OF THE INTEGRATION OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT PLANS WITH

OVERALL EEVELOPJMT PLANNING

(Prepared by the secretariat)

63-3217

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Page 1

. ADMINISTRATIVE. ASPECTS AND PROBLEMS OF THE INTEGRATION OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT PLANS WITH OVERALL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING

--■ -■ ' ' - INTRODUCTION ' ■ ■

iundamental administrative problems of substantial nature hardly- accompanied the early years of formulating and implementing-development programmes in African countries when the era- of development planning came in the 1940s* Existing administrative machineries served the purpose by absorbing the additional functions of soliciting development proposals,:

formulating projects-o.n^ ^■"^PT'vising their ? im] orientation. Development programmes were in. fact no more than departmental forecasting of what they hoped to do for a few years ahead and their implementation depended largely on the annual financial allocations of the Treasury. The planners them selves were ordinary administrative and executive personnel without special

■training in development planning*

:' With the. accumulation of planning experience and the adoption of more elaborate development plans since the 1950s, things have changed: the

public sector, has grown in many countries as a result of increasing government intervention and participation in the productive sectors. Long-term

perspective plans have evolved; planning machineries have grown more complex :and specialised; more research and statistical materials "are being accumulated

and analysed and the people are taking greater part in formulating and executing development programmes; ;.■■" • •

Furthermore, there is a growing interest in achieving a high rate of . economic growth and a balance between social and economic development through the use of more scientific planning techniques involving over-nil development rather than through the old—fashioned method of financial allocations on ad hoc project or programme basis* The handling of such planning tools needs professional knowledge, such as is not readily found in the traditional administrative personnel. Consequently, existing administrative machineries are being adjusted,or overhauled , and in some cases entirely new structures specialising in development planning are being adopted to cope with the

new functions.

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But, because development planning is largely a government action, traditional administrative and executive organs of the State are still

largely involved in development planning and plan implementation. Inevitably^

new problems of relationship, jurisdictional powers and of oo—operation between the old and the new organs have come into prominence; the problem of

administrative procedures and. of professional efficiency have sometimes oome

into conflict; Moreover, the need to economise men and materials, to pro vide complementary services in order to maximise the impact of the bene.flts of related services, and to get all executive actions operating in concert in a given direction for the attainment of specific goals and all development policies in. mutual consistency, underlies the emphasis placed in many African development plans on co-ordinated exeoutive actions and in particular, on integrated development planning.

This paper deals with those aspects of administrative organisations and procedures relating to development planning and plan implementation, with particular emphasis on the administrative problems of the integration of ^social development plans with over-all development planning. The paper is organised in five sections : the first section deals with the involvment of administra tive action in development planning process; Section II on the problems of administering social services; Section III on tne nature and sources of administrative problems involved in integrating and co-ordinating social and economic development programmes, and Section IV deals with ways of securing the effeotive co-ordination of development efforts in both social and economic fields. The paper ends with a short conclusion.

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I. THE UTVOLVEMEHT. OF ADkINISIEATIVE ACTION

IN DEVELOPMENT PL4HHIH0 PROCESS ; :

Pevelopment planning involves decisions and forecasts on future courses of action meant to raise the per capita national income and improve the over all living conditions of the people. Such an exercise has to be based on reliable information and data on past and present trends of action in every aspect of the national life. An individual may make such decisions and forecja^s about his or her future courses" of action; on the nation a1 "level such an exercise has to be undertaken by the State, i.e., by the administrative

and executive arms of government.

The various operations of assembling and analysing data and information translating development proposals into concrete programmes and plans,

allocating resources and co-ordinating executive actions, of overseeing the implementation of approved programmes and reporting back progress'to

authorities constituted to receive it?involve a set of procedures and ad ministrative actions. They require an administrative organisation of a nature, scope and personnel that reflects the various planning exercises and co-ordination functions to be carried out in the social and economic

fields*

(a) Functional planning atagesi The administration of development planning,

which ranges from proposals to programme implementation and plan review, may be organised in four functional stages. These stages are:

(i) Preparatory stage: for the collection of information and data and the

, assembly of development proposals.

,(ii) Programming stage* for the setting of priorities and targets,

„. allocating resources, evaluating projects and oo-ordinating programmes-

(iii) Executive stage: for the implementation and supervision of programmes the co-ordination of executive actions, the removal of development

bottlenecks and for financial contrcL.

(iv) Progress report and plan review stage: for the periodic review of

progress and targets and the formulation of annual development budgets.

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The various planning' fusionfr-are^ inter-related, each stage forming a vital link in the development process. In fact, planning functions are only completed when the implementation of a plan is followed up in order

to explain the contents of the plan'to'adjust ani;devise ways and means

'of ensuring that the plan'^ill work l/.[ The various functional stages show

the clear steps by nhich related sets of administrative actions and procedures may be taken and the functional structure that should underlie "thi^organisa-

tion for development planning. .. * "::,::;..'

(b) Administrative^'action at the various planning stages: The "administration of each or all of the various planning stages requires an administrative

•" "organization to cope with each set of related functions. Such an ad

ministrative organ may be an arm of the traditional administrative structure,

' : a specialised unit within such a system or a separately constitutor develop ment agency with either or both planning and'exeoutive'funotions. The

internal structure and personnel of such a planning organ have to reflect both the functions allotted to it and the nature'and scope of the plan

itself. Much depends upon whether the plan is a comprehensive one, ombracing both private and public sectors or a national, regional or

local plan or a sectoral plan. These may influence the personnel and the

interests represented in the administrative organization set; up for ,

development planning. . ... ... ... . ,...-■ -: ■ - ...-.;

The .public sector.is of major importance in the planning exercise of many African countries. Even in countries adopting comprehensive planning techni

ques for both private and public sectors, much reliance is.pUced on a set of actions in the public sector and the impact of that sector on the private

; sector; In/the social Services sector and, to a lesser extent, in the production

" sectors, public investment decisions are of paramount^importance in the over all investmnet decisions of ^e nation, But government action is reflected

U See H. Piner, the Theory and Practice of Modem Government, pp. 28-32.

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of the- various arms of the ■administrative and executive, organs of the State. Consequently, any development planning in ■.'the public sector involves the co-ordination of the future courses oi1 : action of such administrative and executive organs. ■ -"

Thus for each planning stage a set of administrative procedures and actions are involved/ Every department of State- has its ovn development proposals to make; a set of priorities to rank, programmes to evaluate from the department's technical point of view, limited funds to allocate between competing- claims- end when programmes have been approved, it has to execute them-or -supervise their execution on its behalf and report back to the State both progress and any bottleneck on the programmes. Whether a special plan ning authority' exists as en- autonomous body or as a specialized planning : unit-or. not, every executive department c?■Sta^e that has responsibility for specific service either in the' social or-economic fields; has some Planning functions to carry out. These Sanctions are generally carried out as part, of ..lhe_..normal-.adffiinis-trative'acticn£--of such" a department and the;/ "

3rs-operated under a set of rule a of procedure' for initiating proposals,taking

■ executive-actions, supervising; and making progress reports " ' v-i->&S ■■certain- levels,' wheb-her within and between the central executive ministries or at looa.: levels; the various administrative actions have to be co-ordinated in Crdor to avoid any miscarriage in the £Low of authorisation of government action and to a-oid obvious vr.stes and duplication of efforts In'the field of development planning such ^'-ordination at a central"point is achieved through the body having- the spooiai responsibility for development planning- and do-crdinat.^on* ' ' ■■ "■ ■ ""

Administrative action may arise at any of the planning stages, "in the

■vexy organisation-.of the special' "Organ x>t planning, in the detestation

of the, jurisdictional powers of the"executive agencies or in th* recruitment, trainiiig^ and assignment-of the pereonhel or iGvclopment" ■ ^In^.lxi^ Thsse are part of:;the...normal problems for which the establishment arnfof the administra- - tive system has to find solutions. Administrative action is involved if

soope^is to be giron to Ipcal enthusiasm and initiative in,plpnni^ and \. --

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executing local developmer:'- programmes. It is necessary to give administra

tive sanction to the action of field officials and to delegate sufficient discretionary powers to them to act in co-operation with local government or voluntary self-help actions,

To a very large extent much of the problem of integrating and co ordinating social and economic development programmes thus depends upon the administrative structure for carrying out State actions in general,and upon the nature, scope and personnel of the machinery for development plan ning in particular. Int the social services sector, where voluntary orga nizations play a substantial part in the process of development, and where

there is a major need to co-ordinate the various services among themselves and between private and public activities, administrative action is also involved in the establishment of procedures and encouragement of organiza tions for the necessary contacts and consultations,

(c) Interdependence of administrative and executive actions in development planning; It is sometimes necessary to distinguish between the purely administrative action of policy formulation, proposal appraisal, financial allocation and other operations in the planning exercise and the purely executive action of carrying out development programmes and translating, policies into concrete actions of government. The former falls within . the schedules of administrative officers and planners and the latter

" ' within those of the technical and professional executive personnel. But . as already noted, development planning in its broad meaning involves the follow-up of the implementation of programmes, the supervision of executive actions and an account of the progress achieved.

Development planning and executive functions are, however,distinct,

separate but interdependent—^ For effectiveness and success, there must

therefore be a functional co-operation between planning administration and the executive agencies. Their Respective actions are complementary in

-'Dr. I. Abdel-Rahman & Dr. M.. Ramzi, the Organizational and Administrative

Aspects of Development Planning, AS/SADP/WP-3, PP- 22.

development planning operations* The planning authority may have to issue broad direotives for formulating development proposals, follow-up the

activities of the executives and co-ordinate their actions. On the other hand, the executive agencies may initiate proposals, carry out operational adjust ments and project supervision and submit progress, reports. It is therefore essential to co-ordinate not only executive actions among themselves but also the actions of the planning authority with those of the executives.

-. .: . II. THE ADMINISTRATION OF SOCIAL SERVICES

Social services form a wide variety of services. They include eduoation, health, housing, community development,■ social security^ and social welfare services. - £ach of these main groups have a large range of sub-groups. Tot.

example, social welfare services range from family and child welfare services such as-family counselling, marriage guidance, home economics, health education and nurseries to youth programmes such as recreational and cultural clubs and vocational guidance on the preventive side; from probation services for juvenile delinquents to services provided for groups in special need of care such as. the handicapped and the aged?ect.,on the curative side. These

various services are provided in all countries by both private and public . organizations with varying degree of co-ordination and co-operatipn, muoh depending on.; the historical development of the particular service.

(a) Organizational dispersion of social services

Organizationally, ohe administration of social services is widely dis persed in most countries as between central and local courses of action,

between public and private initiative and financing as well as between several public executive bodies responsible for related services. In the field of

social' welfare administration for. example,; the French-speaking countries

before independence tended to Centralise their social welfare programmes, while

in the JEhgl'ish-speaking territories emphasis was placed on local initiative

and voluntary organizations wi:th government financial support where necessary.

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The structure and scope of the general administrative system of a

country substantially influence the administration of social services and the oo-ordina;tion of such services. In general, the patterns of public administra tive differ from country to country, especially between the French and

English-speaking countries. Consequently, the. administration of social

services have tended to vary accordingly. For- example, some African countries have a Ministry of Social Affairs, while, more often, others have only a

Department of Social Affairs within the Ministry of Health, Education, or

Labour.

In the Sudan, for example, social welfare adminictration on national level is the responsibility of the Ministry of Information and Labour; the Ministry of Health takes charge of mother and child welfare centres and the training of health workers; the .Ministry of Education caters for community development, adult, education, and vocational training; the Kinistry of

Agriculture trains social workers with respect to nutritional education, ana the Ministry of Local Government works through Provincial and Local Councils

in such fields as town planning, village development and housing. Such organi- wtlcni. dispersion in the administration of social services exists in Morocco, Hiigeria and other African countries with varying degree of co-ordination.

The' dispersion of related services makes imperative the need to have an ade quate coordinating administrative. machinery at some central points.

(b) Problems trf co-ordination in the Social Services

In view of the wide range= of social services provided in most countries and the organizational .dispersion of such services, the co-ordination of both administrative and executive actions among public and private bodies res- ponsible for the services becomes a paramount issue if overlaps, gaps or

conflicts are to be avoided if a national social development objective i.

to evolve.: Co-ordination is needed at the "horizontal" level of inter-

disciplinary actions .and at the "vertical." level of administration withxn a

given organization or ministry responsible for particular services. Co-ordx-

nation< in the former case involves centralisation at some points and in the

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and in the latter case decentralization to regional or local levels in order

to give scope to local initiative and participation.

Decentralization of development planning functions pre-supposes the"

existence of regional or local government organizations with an administration ably staffed toassume such responsibilities. Such local organs are only just emerging in many of the newly independent African countries and are rather weak in attracting highly qualified technical personnel for their services. This ineffectiveness of local administration has tended to give emphasis to a substantial measure of centralized administration and the

subjection of local administrative actions to further endorsement by a central ministry responsible for the particular service in some' countries. It also affects the degree to which the services provided by "voluntary agencies in the social service sector can be successfully co-ordinated at local or

regional levels.

Jbr the purpose of co-ordinated development planning some countries have found it necessary to establish a national body with the responsibility

for the formulation of co-ordinated plans and policies in the social services sector. In the UAR for example, the Permanent Public Social Welfare Board,

■ established in 1953, provided su.cn a central co-ordinating fc©dy and its

functions were further decentralised through regichal'and local administrative machin-erd^s. In other countries similar central co-ordinating organs for the voluntary agencies' activities exist. The Uganda Council of Voluntary Social Service*,- the Uganda Youth Cduncily the "Entr* aido Social a Maroaainc"

-in. Morocco and the Alexandria Council of Social Agencies in the UAE3are examples of suoh voluntary organizations for co-ordinating social services.

Some countries have preferred-decentralized administration by encouraging regional or.local authorities to assume the public responsibility for the provision of social services. In Ghana for example, decentralization has been achieved, through regional, district and village authorities. Here the local unit of development planning and-programme supervision is the village development committee, while co-ordination is effected at regional level•

through the offices?.<Jf .the District and Regional Commissioners respectively,

The services of the central ministries are also decentralized through the

same regional and district administrative and executive- machineries.

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■ /Phe higher the degree of.decentralization in the administration of social services(decentralization is essential if the .people.are to parti cipate at local levels in-the development effort) \:the greater is the need

for both policy and programme co-ordination. Co-ordination beooanes necessary at* various levelst , ■ ■

(a) at the centre, between the various departments of government con- oerned with the planning and execution of social programmes and

"between these and. the various central organizations of voluntary , agencies; .. : .. ... .. . . ■■ ■ ■ ., '■

(b).between central headquarters organisations and their corresponding field1, units;1 • ■ ■ ■ ' " ■ ■ ' ' ■ ■ '

(c) between central organizations and the corresponding regional, district

or local organizations; and

(d) at the field where services are rendered, especially in securing the co-operation of all. the various technical departments that have to make their contributions in order to achieve success,

The-re is therefore" a need for some co-ordinating and supervisory'person nel .tp; ljiais^ii.-.betwQen central and local administration* to advise the field

officials1 and local and ^strict administrators as well as to secure the

co-operation of voluntary . organizations. ' ■

(o) Administrative Machinery for 0v,er-all Social Development Planning

The dispersion in the administration of social services and the tendency

to sectional planning in each of the main divisions of social services call

-for both co-ordination at some central points and an administrative machinery

for the formulation of integrated social development policies and objectives on national levels and for co-ordinating executive actions- This means the adoption of-an administrative machinery specializing in over-all social develop ment planning and having either policy-making or executive functions or

both and operating as the complement of the machinery 'specializing mainly in

economic planning. In1 this way development policies, objectives and programmes

in the social' fields can be co-ordinated centrally whilst a close association

between the machineries for economic and social'planning'will facilitate the

integration of programmes in the two cectors.

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However, social development planning in African countries on an inte grated basis,has, in general, been rudimentary. Special administrative arrangements or structure with specific assignment for integrating social development in its various main sections do not yet exisir^ An exception was the case of the UAR where before $957 two separate and co-equal boards were established for social and economic development planning and their activities were co-ordinated by the Council of Ministries. In 1957 these

arrangements were scramped in preference to a single planning machinery

"as a result of criticism to the effect that the bifurcation of economio and social planning and policy-making machinery had limited the extent of examination of proposed economic programmes, from the point of view of their

possible social implications "—'„

The machinery for development planning in African countries has the dual functions of planning for both economic and social sectors and integrating both. In practice, administrative provisions for development planning,both in structure and staffing, have tended in most countries to concentrate on over-all economic planning. Little has so far been achieved anywhere by way of an equally advanced ever-all integrated development planning in the social fields on long-term basis. A few countries such as Tunisia and Ethiopia have, however, organized their planning machineries to provide for special sections with responsibility for ever-s11 co-ordination of development in the social services sector and for facilitating integration wi^h the economic sector.

In some other countries administrative machineries exist.for co-ordinating development and policies in t. e main social sectors through such institutions as national boards responsible for man-power, health or education planning.

This is a develolment in the right direction in an attempt to co-ordinate a very much dispersed service. However, unless the policies, objectives and activities of these machineries for sectional planning are further brought together for mutual inter-disciplinary influence at a central level, over-all co-ordination within the social services sector and integration with the eco nomic services sector will be difficult to attain. So far much is still to be done to secure such ovur-all co-ordination and integration.

- There,, are for example separate' social planning commissions in Burma and Indonesia. Those largely independent commissions havo no counterparts in

African social development planning,

- 2/ United Nations Report en the World Social Situation Hew York 1961, p.92.

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III. ADKENISTRATIVE PROBLEMS IN THE COORDINATION AND INTEGRATION OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLANS

The effectiveness of development planning depends not only on an adequate balanced plan but also on "an administrative structure that will ensure

satisfactory co-ordination and integration of social and. economic programmes

.,1/

- Such co-ordination and integration of development programmes may be seen

as a problem of relationship among the various planning and executive bodies responsible for government actions in both social and economic fields. As noted in the preceding section,such relationship among the various public and voluntary organizations for the administration of social services is conditioned by the structure of the general administrative system. In Section I also uhe involvment of administrative action in planning for social and economic develop ment was noted. It iollov:o bhc.t the way the ad:iinic-brative system itself

works and the nature of its personnel are important factors in achieving the co-ordination of executive actions and integrated development. _. .

Within the administrative framework for formulating and implementing development programmes, a number of problems handicap the co-ordinetion of . social programmes among t-smselves and their integration with economic pro grammes. These obstacles to effective co-ordination and integrated development arise from various sources and are of different types. Though they are to be found in all countries, they vary in the degree to which they constitute real handicap to co-ordination* These obstacles may arise from organizational weak ness in the administrative system for development planning, from established

rules of procedure-, conflict of jurisdictional powers among the executive organs or from a proliferation of new administrative machineries. They may . also arise as a result of planning in ''isolation" in the various sectors and _ sub-sectors or as a result of lack of basic social data and information essen tial to integrated development planning* The most important of these obstacles

-'United Nations, Report orf the World Social Situation, New York 1961,p.91- 1 /

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to co-ordinating and integrating social and economic programmes may be summarized as follows!

1. Obstacles arising from the organizational structure, nature and scope of planning and plan implementation? agencies:

(a) The non—representation of private interests in central, regional or local

planning organizations makes it more difficult to co-ordinate the activities, of private organizations. This is a major factor to be considered in the ad ministration of social services-in particular as voluntary organizations play a very important role. Where development planning is oentralized, the non- representation of regional or local interests at the. plan formulating stages may result in a situation where central^ planning officials prepare plans and'

"thrust" them on the people. In such ,a situation it is more difficult to mobilize the. support of the local people either in support of the implementa

tion, of the plan .or to participate in programmes of community self-help^;

(b) The inter—relationship of the. various administrative and executive functions

and the operational co-operation existing between the different levels of the organs responsible for development policies and programmes influence the oo- ordination of development programmes. A set rule of procedures may govern such relationship at central level between the various administrative, and executive bodies and between these and regional and local organizations res ponsible for regional and local programmes. Inherited administrative usage

and complicated procedures.that;tend to be rigid may make .co-operation more

difficult to attains - . . . . . ;.,-,.,

(c) Decentralized planning raises major problems of co-ordination-in countries that have devolved some central planning' responsibilities upon- -regiorial^&istiict or local authorities. The need to co-ordinate planning and"executive1'actions

T/ The need to-'seoure popular participation in the planning process and in plan implementation is fully dealt with in another pape;n" Participation of People in Development and Planning," E/CN. I4/SDP/9. " See also Community Development and Economic Development. Preliminary Progress Report^ E/CN.14

144 - E/Ctf. 14/SWCD/3.

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at local levels and between local or regional levels and the central bodies may result in the adoption of complex methods of co-ordination that in them

selves may become cumbersome and rigid^ It may call for numerous co

ordinating committees at the central level, unless a measure of delegated local discretionary powers aid oo-rrdination at local levels are provided

for in central administration. On "the other hand, effective planning requires some measures of centralization at some points as the various programmes

formulated at regional and district levels and by voluntary organizations have to be co-ordinated and integrated into the national plan. How to strike an advantageous mean between the tendency to over-centralization and over-

decentralization is the real organizational dilemma of planning-/

(d) The nature and composition of the personnel torn development planning and programme implementation have influende on programme integration and co

ordination.' Many African planning machineries have only a skeleton staff.

Some members of the planning authority or ministry may lack professional training or they may be incompetent as a result of posting to schedules for which they lack the basic training and skill. There may be no social develop ment personnel in the planning staff to assess the social effect and social complements of economic programmes in order to achieve a balanced appraisal and' integration of social and economic programmes. The type of staff, employed

for development planning and plan implementation influences the degree oi*

co-operation among executive agencies. This emphasises the human aspect of personnel. Persons with responsibility to co-ordinate the operations of

others and to seek their co-operation in joint programmes, must themselves have the requisite hum*n understanding, a spirit of co-operation and good human relation both with their, subordinates and superiors. This is all the more important in the formulation and execution of integrated rural development programmes in which social services and self-help are dominant features.

1/ United Nations Report on the World Social Situation op. oij.P- 95 ■

2/ AS/SAEP/W. 3 op. cit. p. 28 •

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Problems of co-operation arise when persons in position to co-ordinate executive actions/ whether at central or local levels and between publio

or voluntary organizations, fail to possess enough''-of those human qualities

that' foster co-operation and mutual 'rel'ati'nship among others* "

(e): Organizationally, only tiie-more experienced planning authorities, such

as those of the. UAH, Senegal, Morocco and Tunisia,-largely in countries

adopting.comprehensive planning techniques, provide in their central planning organizations sectoral commissions to evaluate and co-ordinate sectoral

programmes . Jbr instance, cadre planning forms one of the specialized

sections in Tunisians-Secretariat of State for Planning and Finance. In most countries no specific social services section exists within the organizations!

structure of the central Planning Secretariat,.to ensure the technioal co ordination of the social services at the planning stage.

(f) As f^ly elaborated in Section II earlier, the dispersion cf related

social services among several public,.and private planning and executive agencies -makes co-ordination difficult to attain,

2. Juxisdiotional problems \r ■: ,V . .

Because public services ' are "interdependent and inter—related it' is often difficult to be precise as to- the "limit of the jurisdiction of a given executive ministry. Consequently,1 overlaps and gaps sometimes occur in the

process o'f formulating and eteci.it in1g development programme a. Gaps may arise

because a given ministry claim's jurisdiction over a particular service while another contests such a claim., " On the other har.d~.ths situation may result

in duplication of services as "has sometimes bappenec -vith --outh programmes.

In Western Nigeria,for example, the Ministries of Agriculture, Education and

Social Welfare have launched individually unco—ordinated Young farmer's Clubs.

Jurisdictional problems so'metimes'> arise among existing central executive

agencies and between "these and regional, provincial and:' district' authorities-

A new executive agency may be confronted with charges'V:' usurpation "of powers

by existing agencies0 Problems also arise :\.-r,'. in the interest of co-ordinated

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and integrated development, executive agencies have to surrender part of their traditional powers and the financial provisions for the service

concerned or to assume new responsibilities which may not carry any additional financial provisions. To Headquarters officials the Ministry's own projects tend to claim priority over joint projects. Consequently, they exhibit re luctance in collaborating with others in executing integrated joint projects largely betfause such projects fall outside their direct jurisdiction. However,

where programmes are integrated and jointly formulated from the very

beginning there tends to be active co-operation, a sense of, joint-respans.-

■ibili'iy while jealousy over jurisdictional powers subsides.

3. "Delegation of Powers

Executive officials at local levels generally have a conviction and feeling of common or inter-dependent problems to tackle* They see it more clearly that the success of the services they render depends to a, large extent on the services rendered by other technical colleagues. Among them mutual understanding and a spirit of co-operation prevail irrespective of the different executive ministries to which they are accountable. By contrast, at Headquarters such mutual understanding and a sense of common problems are very limited. Consequently, Headquarters officials do not readily see to the need for active oo-operation among field executive officials and are very reluctant to delegate enough discretional powers to them. The result

of this lack of delegated discretional powers to field officials is unnecessary delays in getting approval to act or co-operate in the execution of programmes requiring collaboration by several technical ministries. The same situation exists in the use of discretion by local authorities, whose executive actions are sometimes subject to the prior approval of the overseeing central ministry.

Lack of sufficient discretionary powers at local levels tends to cramp local

'initiative and willingness to co-operate in the co-ordination of development

programmes, especially social services with regional impact.

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4- Conflict of Interests - - - - .

Unless planning has been m.a.de.. comprehensive and'programmes properly integrated, regional and local programmes; .may conflict with nation-wide pros' rammcs and national targets and priorities.-^ Tnis may happen Where integrated regional programmes arc the responsibilities o;f autonomous, statutory afa ad hoo bodies as in the Sudan, Nigeria arid many other countries. A! confliot of

interests and jurisdictional powers between executive bodies may also arise, as sometimes happens, over expansion in social service facilities. In suoh a situation a development gap of no-man's land may arise in the absence of an integrated approach to development. Conflict's of personalities, the lack of mutual understanding among people at the helm of affairs, may sometimes be at the root of seeming conflict of interests. The former needs "good human relations in order to foster the spirit of cooperation at all levels.

5- Burea-usratio Problems .. .-■-,.

Development has its administrative aspects while the functions of planning and co-ordination art* largely administrative operations. But administration everywhere has its inherited Usages and conventional procedure's for get'tfng^

information reporting progress or collaborating with others. Development planning, especially among agencies dealing with economic services, needs a procedure that will not sacrifice professional efficiency and cause un

necessary delays. In general, all services need efficient operation, a sense

of responsibility and willingness to co-operate with others.

. , _ Inherited official procedures, and a hierarchy of officials to endorse a proposal or request for co-operation, whether between executive agencies and the planning authority^ between the central and local executives or between all these and voluntary organizations in the social fields in particular, tend to cause excessive dol?ys and frustration, and weaken the spirit of" co-operation.

Where the personnel administering services.lack the spirit of.cooperation and

ar> attitude to help, established rules and administrative procedures become

definite barriers to programme co-ordination at all stages of development

planning and implementation. . ... -

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6. Divorce of finanoial control faom oo-ordination function

In many countries where inter-departmental or national councils or committees are set up with the primary function of oo-ordinating related

services such bodies are generally not given separate budgets. In other cases certain national bodies have their own funds or budgets which give their

oo-ordination functions much substance and effectiveness. J This divorce of

oo-ordinating functions from the power to allocate funds for the projects and programmes co-ordinated also applies in countries where the planning authority has no control over annual capital budget estimates and the release of funds for approved programmes. Co-ordination is greatly facilitated and effective where a planning authority has responsibility for annual capital

budgets co-jointly with the Treasury.

7. Inadequate basic data

Comprehensive planning is realistic only when there are sufficient and reliable data for every sector that has to be integrated. A major problem in the integration of social and economic development programmes is the com- S«ratiT* la<*k of social da*% fo* ocmproh«n£ifo planning-'. This dofioioncy

whioh is a common feature in virtually all African countries is due partly to the failure to direct the efforts of the Central Statistics Bureaux to the statistical requirements in the aooial fields and partly to the fact that the statistics collected in the social sectors by the ministries concerned "are generally not co-ordinated with those of the Central Statistics Bureaux whether in terms of methodology or prooedure for their processing and analysis*

Similarly, research in the social fields may be either too scanty for planning purposes or too academic for planners to be able to apply the results to their planning operations. National research institutions may be carrying

y An example of such funds is the Kwame Nkruma Trust Fund in Ghana, established in 1958 for distribution to voluntary agencies for various social services.

The administration of this Rind facilitates the co-ordination of the efforts

of voluntary agenoies.

%l This has been fully treated in another document, E/CN.U/SDP/iT, " Social

Statistics and Research Requirements for the Integration of Social Planning

with comprehensive Development Planning. "

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Page 19

out their operations in the social .and economic fields without relating their efforts to planning needs. This .has largely been the case with the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research for example. If economic planners have to take social factors and trends into consideration in formulating

^comprehensive plans, they have to be furnished with the necessary basic data and information in the social field.

g# Unintc^ratod and Unco-ordinated Planning

Co-ordinated implementation of programmes in order to. economise men

and^materials and to achieve the best end results, presupposes oo-ordinated and integrated planning of the various sectors at regional and local levels from the start. Where such initial■■ co-operation has not been achieved, co

operation and a feeling of a sense of joint interest among executive agencies

may be difficult to realise. Thus co-ordination is no.t an. end requirement

at the executive stage.alone but a necessity, at every . stage in the planning

process. , .

IV. WAYS OF ACHIEVING THE CO-OKDBfATION A1JD INTEGRATION OF

SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC UEVELOPKENT PLANS

A variety of ways and means to achieving the co-ordination and inte

gration of social and economic development programmes and plane follow as a corollary to the analysis of the main obstacles to effective programme co ordination. These measures therefore need no detailed elaboration and are

summarised as follows :

*!• Administrative Provisions; The structure of planning1 administration

has to reflect all sectors and interests in the ootintry and provide

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for decentralised planning or "planning from below". It is necessary

where some planning responsibilities are devolved upon regional and local agencies, to create within the central planning machinery a 'special co-ordinating section—'.

At both central and local levels, if is necessary to have esta

blished r-.dministrative arrangements -.nd not too formal procedures for ad hoc

consultations between central and local authorities and voluntary organizations and institutions. This is all the more important in the social services sector where "such consultations with national

fe'deration of voluntary organizations facilitate the co-ordination of national policies and objectiveb. Through such eonsultations a two- way channel for advisory service can be established and a control of policies and objectives could be exercised by planning and executive bodies over voluntary organizations.

:;;■'.. . ;: Complementary personnel is necessary in the staffing of a planning organization if it is to £ive due regard to both social and economic sectors. In many countries the beads of the ministries responsible for social services generally gain representation in the central planning organization or in one of its sub—committees. For the technical aspects of planning operations it is essential that persons with training and experience in social development and planning be recruited into the staff of the planning authority*. Since the social service sector forms

■ one of the major sectors of public and private actions, it is essential - to have within the structure of. the central' planning agency, a social

services section to co-ordinate development in the social 'fields, as is the case with the structure of the Ethiopian Planning Ofiice,

2. Co-ordinating Committees! Both standing and ad hoc inter-departmental co-ordinating committees at central.and; local levels are necessary to secure effective .co-ordination between the operations and policies of executive ministries responsible for related services, in particular,the various social services. Such ad hoo committees and working parties,

-'An example is the structural organization of the Tunisian Secretariat of State for Planning and finance in which there are separate sections dealing with regional development and plan supervision and oo-ordination.

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and meetings of heads of divisions, or of■.permanent -•;eore.taries,..

consultations among directeurs du cabinet are generally found ill most countries. What is gene-ally lacking is standing technical inter departmental committees in which officials of the central or local planning ministry or office have representation.

■Ik countries where central co-ordinating functions become in effective over certain services because the planning and executive powers for such services have been, farmed out to numerous ciatuto—-

autonomous .boards, it is necessary, to set up special <?o-nrdinating ', committees .of experts with advisory powers on how best ^central co

ordination of policies and objectives could, be.secured. Suoh co ordinating committees are only .effective if .they are limited in nu^Ur and concentrate on "-;road polioy matters.

3- Budgetary measles: Annual budgetary allocations and control of expen ditures on social and economic services by the Treasury, and central and local governments' grants-iri-aid to voluntary organizations serve as control and co-ordinating measures in most countries. Their effective- - ■ ness depends upon the level of supervision that follows such financial

allocations and grants. The release of government's grants-in-aid to voluntary organizations on various established basis in the field of education, health and social welfare services serves as effective means of. inducing their compliance and co-operation with declared objectives

. and. fulfilment of set targets.

Among central ministries and their regional and-local counterparts, co-ordination through budgetary measures is mere effective in countries where the planning authority u vested .wit* .powers ..to allocate funds for ,; capital expenditure and to with-hoid such funds in cases, where the plan ..- objectives were being Unreasonably" set aside ..by the executive

ministries. In any case the exercise of such-financial control by the

planning authority has to be in close co-operation with the Treasury.

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4. ■ . Integrated development planning; Integrated development in the social

and economic fields can he achieved through-*7.

(i) Developing programmes that are.simultaneously economic and

social in character and objectives. These are generally

multi-purpose and regional projects. Rural community-develop ment and land reform programmes also-belong to this class of

development .with multiple objectives,

■ (ii) Orientation of economic programmes so that they may have

immediate social objectives and benefits. Examples are labour- intensive public works or industrial pro jects, and the launching of agricultural projects to absorb unemployed youths and school leavers. Modern industries may be decentralized in order to

encourage rural and urban small-scale industries to serve as

"feeders" of large-scale industrial complexes and so dovetail

labour-intensive techniques into the programmes.

(iii) Orientation of social programmes so that they may achieve economic objectives more effectively*_ *or example education

programmes and contents may be geared to the needs of a growing

economy. Also endemic diseases have to be eliminated from a development area or region as a complementary service to econ

omic programmes if the latter are to be fruitful.

(iv) Providing complementary programmes that will balance social and

economic development. Examples are health programmes for

social groups on whom much has been spent to develop their pro ductive skillsj the adoption of job-creating programmes for

school leavers; and the provision of health and housing facil ities for workers in industrial estates or agricultural settle ments. It also involves the balancing of auxiliary activities

to main programmes..

~T7 For details, see Report on the World Social Situation,

New York 1961,pp.82-90.

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5. Federation of Voluntary Organizations in the Social Services Sector

Central co-ordination between central and local governments and voluntary

" organizations responsible for social services is facilitated in countries

'-'- where voluntary organizations federate into national councils. Such

'federation may be either for a particular group, of social services as

the Nigerian Nation-al Council on Health Services established in 1961»

or for all branches of the social services sector collectively, such

■ as the National Social Services Board in the UAR. The latter type of federation is more effective as an organization for framing and.co ordinating national social development policies. To have an adequate influenoe on integrated national development planning, such a federation of voluntary bodies has to have, direct representation in the.policy

■ co-ordinating arm of the central planning authority*

°"« -Administrative Reforms: If a well functionally organized planning ad

ministration is to work efficiently and effectively, all other administa- tive arms of central and local governments, in particular, the set-up and operating procedures of executive agencies, have to work efficiently and their efforts co-ordinated. Thus for over-all efficiency, comprehensive

■ administrative reforms are necessary as a result of changing conditions - and increasing government responsibilities in the field of development

planning-^ Such reforms are necessary not only in matters of simpli

fying rules and complicated procedures but also in the capability and human quality of administrative and executive personnel.

~i"7 In the ourrent plans of Ethiopia and Senegal administrative reforms form

"~ part of the structural and institutional changes envisaged in order to achieve rapid economic growth.

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In this paper, it has been stressed that development planning in . sooial and economic sectors involves substantial administrative action and that the function of co-ordinating the policy aspects of planning and plan implementation is largely an administrative function. Also it ;was noted that the administration of social services is widely dispersed between public and private organizations and this makes co-ordination of efforts imperative. The administrative arms oi government largely have the responsibility for ensuring

the co-ordination of government action. Integrated development in both socxal :and'economic fields ensures that public outlay will hav6,the,maximum long-run

effect! ' How best the'; administrative and executive agencies carry out..their responsibility for ensuring coordinated action and integrated development, depends to a.large.extent on their organisational set-up, the.type of person nel that run the various organizations, and how the machiner-iesiopflEsSs.

■■■ '■'■ Social'serviced have tf substantial local base in its financing, and in

"the interests'served. The people getting the benefits have- to b*: gi^n the

■ opportunity to use their initiative, determine what-they want and how they want it'and tb make compJs notary contributions to what public and private org'anizations can offer. It therefore becomes necessary that any local,

regional^ central organization for development planning has to be influenced by the interests of the people and has ^o proviHe for their representation »

some ways. This means decentralization of planning functions and the dele

gation of discretionary powers from the centre to local executive bodies and

officials. On the other hand, central co-ordination of development policies

and objectives is equally essential. To achieve this it is necessary for the

central planning agency to provide some channels of communication and con

sultations between the central and local development agencies.

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The advancement of the economic prosperity of the people and the

improvement of their social standards have to go hand in hand. Both aspects of life are mutually interdependent and the participation of the people is paramount in achieving desired goals. This means that the development of both economic and social services has to be planned on an integrated basis and through a strategy that gives full scope to local initiatives and

participation.