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A Guide to Government in Afghanistan

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A Guide to Government in Afghanistan A Guide to Government in Afghanistan Anne Evans, Nick Manning, Yasin Osmani, Anne Tully and Andrew Wilder Primary funding for this study was provided by the European Commission, with additional support from the Governments of Switzerland and Sweden, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), and the World Bank. A Guide to Government in Afghanistan Copyright © 2004 by The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW Washington, DC 20433, USA Telephone 202-473-1000 Internet www.worldbank.org E-mail [email protected] and The Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit Charahi Ansari Shahr-e-Naw, Kabul Afghanistan Internet www.areu.org.af E-mail [email protected] All rights reserved. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of the World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. Rights and Permissions The material in this work is copyrighted. Copying and/or transmitting portions or all of this work without permission may be a violation of applicable law. The World Bank encourages dissemination of its work and will normally grant permission promptly. For permission to photocopy or reprint any part of this work, please send a request with complete information to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA, telephone 978-750-8400, fax 978-750-4470, www.copyright.com. All other queries on rights and licenses, including subsidiary rights, should be addressed to the Office of the Publisher, World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA, fax 202-522-2422, e-mail [email protected]. Cover photographs (left to right): Photo by: Keiko Miwa Photo by: Arpan Munier © Office of Communications and Public Information, United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan Photo by: Jonathan Lee © Zebia Media Photo by: David Singh © Office of Communications and Public Information, United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan ISBN 0-8213-5835-9 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been requested TABLE OF CONTENTS GLOSSARY AND DEFINITIONS ..................................................................ix DARI TERMS ..............................................................................................ix HISTORICAL TERMS .................................................................................x TECHNICAL TERMS...................................................................................x OTHER TERMS...........................................................................................xi CALENDAR ..............................................................................................xiii CURRENCY...............................................................................................xiv ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS.........................................................xv PREFACE........................................................................................................xvii THE PURPOSE OF THIS GUIDE ............................................................xvii DATA SOURCES.....................................................................................xviii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................xix 1. THE HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL CONTEXT...............................1 THE EVOLUTION OF THE AFGHAN STATE..........................................1 CURRENT ADMINISTRATIVE AND FISCAL STRUCTURES...............7 THE POLITICAL CONTEXT ....................................................................12 CONCLUSIONS .........................................................................................21 2. CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION ............................................................22 LEGAL BASIS AND ORGANIZATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES..........22 THE ORDINARY BUDGET ......................................................................28 THE DEVELOPMENT BUDGET..............................................................33 STAFFING ..................................................................................................38 ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHALLENGES IN THE CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION...................................................................................61 3. CENTRAL/LOCAL FISCAL RELATIONSHIPS .................................70 OVERVIEW ................................................................................................70 REVENUE COLLECTION.........................................................................71 BUDGET PREPARATION.........................................................................73 BUDGET EXECUTION .............................................................................81 CASH MANAGEMENT AND TREASURY OPERATIONS ...................91 ACCOUNTING AND AUDIT....................................................................92 CONCLUSIONS .........................................................................................92 4. CENTRAL/LOCAL ADMINISTRATIVE RELATIONSHIPS............94 LEGAL BASIS AND ORGANIZATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES..........94 ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS ..............................................................95 THE POLITICS OF APPOINTMENTS......................................................97 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES IN THE PROVINCES................100 STAFFING ESTABLISHMENT ..............................................................100 PAY AND GRADING ..............................................................................103 PAYROLL ARRANGEMENTS ...............................................................104 CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................................106 5. MUNICIPALITIES .................................................................................108 STRUCTURE ............................................................................................108 FISCAL AUTONOMY .............................................................................109 EXPENDITURES......................................................................................110 STAFFING ................................................................................................112 LIKELY WAY FORWARD......................................................................114 6. EDUCATION SERVICE DELIVERY ..................................................115 INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................115 SYSTEM OVERVIEW .............................................................................117 CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES AT THE PROVINCIAL AND DISTRICT LEVEL....................................................................................118 IMPLICATIONS FOR PROVINCIAL EDUCATION SERVICE DELIVERY................................................................................................126 7. HEALTH SERVICE DELIVERY .........................................................129 THE NATIONAL CONTEXT ..................................................................129 THE CASE FOR CONTRACTING OUT HEALTH SERVICE DELIVERY................................................................................................130 CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES AT THE PROVINCIAL AND DISTRICT LEVEL....................................................................................131 IMPLICATIONS FOR PROVINCIAL HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATION.................................................................................138 8. CONCLUSIONS ......................................................................................142 HANDLE THE EXISTING ARRANGEMENTS WITH CARE..............142 THE NATIONAL AGENDA ....................................................................144 THE SUBNATIONAL AGENDA ............................................................145 ANNEXES........................................................................................................148 ANNEX 1: CENTRAL GOVERNMENT BODIES AND POLITICAL RESPONSIBILITIES ................................................................................148 ANNEX 2: CENTRAL GOVERNMENT STRUCTURES IN PERSPECTIVE .........................................................................................151 ANNEX 3: THE LEGAL BASIS FOR GOVERNMENT EMPLOYMENT........................................................................................154 ANNEX 4: KEY BUDGET AND PERSONNEL FORMS.......................155 ANNEX 5: EXCERPT FROM THE LEGISLATION ON MUNICIPALITIES....................................................................................156 NOTES .............................................................................................................158 REFERENCES................................................................................................160 TABLES Table 1: Formal Central-Local Relationships in Afghanistan.........................10 Table 2: Key Features Distinguishing Degrees of Decentralization ...............11 Table 3: Allotment Procedures........................................................................30 Table
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