Role of Public Financial Management in Improving Service Delivery: What Can We Learn from PEFA?

The PEFA program is calling for proposals for short-term project collaborations between the PEFA Secretariat and interested public finance practitioners, scientists, researchers, and scholars to strengthen the understanding of the role of public financial management (PFM) in improving service delivery, preferably in education and health, by using the PEFA dataset. 

Research can be carried out at multiple levels, including global, regional (e.g., Europe and Central Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, etc.), country level, and level of subnational governments. Research proposals might opt for a holistic approach to viewing PFM and its role on service delivery, particularly in education and health, or can investigate different PFM tools (e.g., medium-term expenditure frameworks, role of performance information and performance audits, cash management, Treasury Single Account, participatory budgeting, parliamentary oversight, etc.) as well as different approaches to PFM reform and to present their impact on service delivery.

To learn more, please refer to the Call for Research Proposals website: https://www.pefa.org/pefa-call-research-proposals-2019

 

HOW TO APPLY?

Research proposals should be submitted via email at services@pefa.org with a corresponding subject ‘PEFA 2019 Call for Research Proposal’ by February 28, 2019.

All proposals should clearly describe the following:

Research proposal summary

Please provide one-page executive summary, up to 500 words. The summary should include: i) rationale, ii) objectives, iii) methods, iv) expected outcomes.

Background

Please provide a two-page background that includes literature review of previous studies on the subject, stating its importance and rationale for proposing the study.

Objectives

Please state the overall aim expected to be achieved from this research and specific objectives which break down the general objective.

Methodology

The methodology section should describe the study design, data sources other than the PEFA data, and specify the approach to research and methods used.

Timeframe of proposed activities

Please indicate the activities to be conducted and the corresponding timing, including the submission of progress reports, first and final draft, as well as the final report including comments from the World Bank internal peer review process.

References cited

Any references cited should be listed using standardized citation style.

Proposal budget with justifications

Please include the research project budget breakdown with according justifications.