The Dominican Republic 1996-2000
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Evaluation of EC Country Strategy: The Dominican Republic 1996-2000 Carlos Montes Toby Wolfe Charles Vellutini Investment Development Consultancy, France Development Strategies, Italy [email protected] August 2000 The authors accept sole responsibility for this report. The report does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission, which commissioned this report. Contents LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS PREFACE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...................................................................................................i 1. RELEVANCE OF THE STRATEGY.............................................................................1 A. COUNTRY ANALYSIS ..............................................................................................1 B. WAS THE EC’S 1996 STRATEGY RELEVANT TO THE COUNTRY’S NEEDS?...............10 C. EC PROGRAMME IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC....................................................17 2. PERFORMANCE OF THE EC’S PROGRAMME .....................................................21 A. GOVERNANCE AND THE RULE OF LAW .................................................................21 B. POVERTY REDUCTION...........................................................................................23 C. ENVIRONMENT AND GENDER ................................................................................29 D. REGIONAL COOPERATION .....................................................................................31 3. EXPLAINING THE PERFORMANCE OF THE EC’S AID PROGRAMME ...........37 A. STRENGTHENING GOVERNMENT AND CIVIL SOCIETY INSTITUTIONS ......................37 B. DONOR COORDINATION ........................................................................................49 C. THE COMMISSION’S RESOURCES AND PROCEDURES ..............................................56 D. EXPLAINING EC PERFORMANCE, BY SECTOR ........................................................62 4. RECOMMENDATIONS..............................................................................................65 ANNEX 1: EC INTERVENTIONS...................................................................................77 ANNEX 2: LIST OF INTERVIEWS ................................................................................79 List of abbreviations ACP African, Caribbean and Pacific (Lomé Convention) ACS Association of Caribbean States ADN Ayuntamiento del Distrito Nacional AECI Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional CAASD Corporación de Acueducto y Alcantarillado de Santo Domingo CACM Central American Common Market CAFTA Central American Free Trade Area CARICOM Caribbean Community CARIFORUM Caribbean Forum of ACP States CARIMOS Organisation for Monuments and Sites in the Wider Caribbean CAS Country Assistance Strategy CBI Caribbean Basin Initiative CBO Community-based organisation CDF Comprehensive Development Framework CDP Consejos y Comisiones de Desarrollo Provincial y Local CEDA Caribbean Export Development Agency CERSS Comisión Ejecutivo para la Reforma del Sector Salud CGCED Caribbean Group for Cooperation in Economic Development CONAU Consejo Nacional de Asuntos Urbanos CPRyME Comisión Presidencial para la Reforma y Modernización del Estado CSE Country Strategy Evaluation CSP Country Strategy Paper CTDP Caribbean Tourism Development Programme CULP Caribbean University Level Programme DFID Department for International Development (UK) DG Directorate General, European Commission DR Dominican Republic EC European Commission EC European Community (aid) EDF European Development Fund EIA Environmental impact assessment EU European Union FTAA Free Trade Area of the Americas GAD Grupo de Acción por la Democracia IDB Inter-American Development Bank IDDI Instituto de Desarrollo Integral IMF International Monetary Fund INAP Instituto Nacional de Administración Pública INPRA Instituto Nacional de Protección Ambiental INTEC Instituto Tecnologico de Santo Domingo JAD Junta Agroempresarial Dominicana JCE Junta Central Electoral MTR Mid-term review NAO National Authorising Officer NGO Non-governmental organisation NIP National Indicative Programme OECD Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development ONAP Oficina Nacional de Administración de Personal ONAPLAN Oficina Nacional de Planificación PAFI Programa de Administración Financiera Integrada (IDB) PARME Programa de Apoyo a la Reforma y Modernización del Estado PASP Programa de Apoyo al Sector Privado PLD Partido para la Liberación Dominicana PMU Project management unit PRD Partido Revolucionario Dominicano PRIDEP Programa Integrado de Desarrollo de la Educación Primaria PRISA Programa Integrado de Salud en la Región Suroeste PROCREBI Programa Binacional de Crédito Rural PROLINO Proyecto de Desarrollo Rural Integrado de la Línea Noroeste PROSIP Programa Sectorial de Importación de Productos Petroleros PUCMM Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra RESURE Reestructuración Social, Urbana y Económica (UNDP) RIP Regional Indicative Programme SABAMAR Proyecto de Saneamiento Ambiental en Barrios Urbanos Marginales de Santo Domingo SAF Structural Adjustment Facility SCR Common Service for External Relations, European Commission SEA Secretaría de Estado de Agricultura SEEC Secretaría de Estado de Educación y Cultura SESPAS Secretaría de Estado para la Salud Pública y Asistencia Social STP Secretariado Técnico de la Presidencia TA Technical assistance / technical assistant UNDP United Nations Development Programme USAID United States Agency for International Development WB World Bank WTO World Trade Organisation Preface This Dominican Republic Country Strategy Evaluation (CSE) has been carried out as one of a series of CSE exercises on EC assistance programmes worldwide, undertaken on behalf of the Evaluation Unit in the Joint Service for the Management of Community Aid to Non-Member Countries (SCR).1 The report is based on a mission to the Dominican Republic by Messrs. C. Montes (team manager), T. Wolfe and C. Vellutini that took place from 23 February to 10 March 2000, and a subsequent visit by the team manager to Washington DC. The evaluators carried out an extensive review of Delegation files, available mid-term reviews and evaluations, and interviews with Delegation staff, other donors, Government officials, and private sector and civil society organisations (64 interviews in total).2 The careful study of files – which contain the record of official documents and communication between the various stakeholders – allowed the evaluators to gain a high level of understanding of project and programmes, minimising the time taken from EC or Government officials. The recommendations are built on assessments of both the preparation and the implementation of the EC’s strategy in the Dominican Republic. The evaluators’ assessments were discussed with Delegation advisers throughout the mission to the Dominican Republic. Preliminary findings were presented in Brussels on the 3rd of April, and the draft report for comments was submitted on the 9th of May. This report would not have been possible without the collaboration and assistance of the Commission Delegation in Santo Domingo and that of Dominican Government officials, as well as the generous assistance of members of civil society and the private sector, to all of whom we are extremely grateful. Evaluation Directors EC Country Strategy Evaluations: Carlos Montes Stefano Migliorisi Copies of other Country Strategy Evaluations are available on the web-site of the Evaluation Unit, Common Service for External Relations (SCR), which is currently at http://europa.eu.int/comm/scr/evaluation/program . Copies can also be obtained from the Head of the Evaluation Unit, SCR, European Commission. 1 A CSE is meant to be forward-looking, contributing directly to the preparation of a new strategy. 2 See Annex 2 for a complete list of people interviewed. Executive summary i Executive summary This is the executive summary of the Evaluation of the EC’s Country Strategy in the Dominican Republic for the years 1996-2000. It is part of a series of Country Strategy Evaluations of EC aid. The report is based on a mission to the Dominican Republic that took place from 23 February to 10 March 2000 and a subsequent visit to Washington DC. The mission involved an extensive review of Delegation files, available mid-term reviews and evaluations, and interviews with Delegation staff, other donors, Government officials, and civil society organisations (64 interviews in total, see Annex 2, p. 79). Ch. 1 focuses on the relevance of the EC’s country strategy in the Dominican Republic. Key aspects of the country context are reviewed and used to assess the relevance of the EC’s country strategy (before implementation). Ch. 2 looks at the performance of the EC’s programme in the Dominican Republic, focusing principally on its impact with respect to the EC’s priority objectives. Ch.3 looks at key factors which explain the performance of the programme. Ch. 4 presents recommendations. 1. Relevance of the strategy (p. 1) Country analysis 4. Economic situation. The economy has been growing particularly rapidly since 1. Political situation. The transition from an authoritarian, clientelistic system to a more 1995, with little inflation. This is partly democratic political system has been attributed to the growth of the US economy, difficult. However, the transition is to foreign investment, to the success of the consolidating, particularly with the 1996 and 1990 reform measures and the role of the 2000 elections. The political system has Central Bank. However,