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Lesson
The provisions of funds under a program loan will generally only have an immediate impact on the overall level of economic activity if a pipeline of projects is in place when the funding becomes available. This was not the case when the ERSP (economic recovery support program) subprogram 1 loan was disbursed, but the delay in capital project construction to ensure more sustainable and beneficial projects were implemented was desirable.

Project Number: 42503-013
Project Name: Economic Recovery Support Program - Subprograms 1 and 2
Report Date:
Lesson
The sustained commitment by the GOWB ensured that reforms transcended short-term political considerations. For a policy-based program to be successful, sufficient resources must be devoted to cultivate dialogue with all stakeholders and institutionalize ownership of reforms.

Project Number: 44453-014
Project Name: West Bengal Development Finance Program
Report Date:
Lesson
Ensuring continuity of staff at the program directorate builds institutional memory and supports the successful implementation and sustainability of the reforms.

Project Number: 44453-014
Project Name: West Bengal Development Finance Program
Report Date:
Lesson
A program design of this nature should avoid numerous and complex policy actions, and focus on the core elements of the government's reform agenda. Policy actions must be prioritized thoroughly based on a clearly defined, time-bound roadmap. Policy-based programs should be supported by an accompanying TA to meet all targeted policy actions in a timely manner, and strengthen the government's capacity to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of the reforms.

Project Number: 44453-014
Project Name: West Bengal Development Finance Program
Report Date:
Lesson
The effective use of IT-based e-governance systems not only strengthens the government's capability and efficiency in tax administration, expenditure, and debt management, but also enhances the quality and accessibility of public service delivery at affordable costs to many different segments of society, including the poor. IT-based public sector reforms are also very effective at standardizing processes and preventing leakage, fraud, and corruption, and thereby improving accountability and governance at all levels of public administration.

Project Number: 44453-014
Project Name: West Bengal Development Finance Program
Report Date:
Lesson
Policy-based programs targeting fiscal consolidation should not sacrifice economic growth by insisting on rapid and drastic fiscal adjustment in the short-term. Instead, fiscal space must be created gradually through carefully sequenced and multifaceted reforms that promote a sustainable fiscal trajectory along with economic growth. To achieve this balanced approach, revenue collection should be augmented with more efficient tax administration and an expansion of tax base instead of tax rate increases, which might hinder economic growth.

Project Number: 44453-014
Project Name: West Bengal Development Finance Program
Report Date:
Lesson
Active stakeholder consultations during both program inception and implementation are imperative for creating a strong sense of government ownership, and ensuring commitment by all stakeholders to achieving the required policy actions under ADB program loans. Policy actions must be thoroughly assessed, clearly defined, relevant, and achievable within the required time frame, in particular when quick release of funds is critical for urgent budget support in crisis situations.

Project Number: 46371-001
Project Name: Strengthening Economic Management Program
Report Date:
Lesson
Financial crises may pressure a government to initiate policy reforms, and provide opportunities for development partners to introduce international best practices through policy-based loans. A key challenge in this context is to ensure that reforms introduced in response to emergency conditions are sustained in the post-crisis period. For the program, implementation of policy actions progressed as planned, and tranche 2 policy actions were achieved ahead of schedule, illustrating the broad political and institutional commitment to continued and sustainable reforms.

Project Number: 46371-001
Project Name: Strengthening Economic Management Program
Report Date:
Lesson
Policy reforms are largely politically driven. The involvement and roles of government, stakeholders and politicians and the benefits to each party are important considerations in the design and implementation of policy-based loans. With a change in government in 2013, actions initiated under the program could have been altered, reversed or subject to delays or resistance. However, the program initiatives were fully endorsed by the new government, demonstrating that the program was well thought out and designed to transcend politics.

Project Number: 46371-001
Project Name: Strengthening Economic Management Program
Report Date:
Lesson
Policy-based loans can be successfully designed to provide an integrated approach to policy reforms by (a) leveraging constructive policy dialogue, (b) incorporating tailored policy interventions, and (c) ensuring implementation support and capacity development through TA

Project Number: 46371-001
Project Name: Strengthening Economic Management Program
Report Date:
Lesson
Execution of pilot projects is valuable for (a) assessing ease of implementation, adaptability and potential for full-scale implementation; and (b) for identifying new potential bottlenecks and areas requiring further reforms. The successful pilot testing of a new property valuation method (PVM) demonstrated the potential for substantially increasing local revenues from property taxes as anticipated, but also contributed to potential revisions of the outdated tax laws.

Project Number: 46371-001
Project Name: Strengthening Economic Management Program
Report Date:
Lesson
Carefully aligning objectives and outputs of ADB program loans with related TA can help increase effectiveness and sustainability, and ensure efficient implementation of both ADB interventions and ADB TA recommendations. By incorporating related TA deliverables into the program design, the program helped ensure high-level government commitment to policy reforms and accelerate implementation of highly relevant TA recommendations, which may otherwise not have received the same level of attention and commitment.

Project Number: 46371-001
Project Name: Strengthening Economic Management Program
Report Date:
Lesson
No new lessons

Project Number: 43321-013, 43321-023
Project Name: Public Sector Program—Subprograms 1 and 2
Report Date:
Lesson
Progress fairly steady but slow. Implementation of the EFRP (Economic and Financial Reform Program) has been satisfactory but has often taken longer than anticipated, particularly in the area of legislative reform. The number of policy actions and reforms monitored through the EFRP has varied greatly each year - 49 in 2010, 31 in 2011, 77 in 2012, and 29 in 2013.

Project Number: 46497-001
Project Name: Economic and Financial Reform Program
Report Date:
Lesson
Benefits of dialogue and tight focus. The tight focus of the EFRP (Economic and Financial Reform Program) and the ADB policy matrix has helped to strengthen ownership by the government. The CEWG (core economic working group) policy dialogue contains three main elements: (i) discussions on the design and implementation of the EFRP policy matrix, (ii) regular CEWG meetings, and (iii) the annual joint review missions. Policy dialogue was anchored on the EFRP matrix with its objectives of strengthened PFM, budget reform, and economic growth.

Project Number: 46497-001
Project Name: Economic and Financial Reform Program
Report Date: