Innovation for Citizen Services

Palacio

Inclusive and sustainable development requires innovative public policies, the successful implementation of which calls for institutions with technical and operational capacities to serve the common interest. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has identified four challenges that limit the technical and operational capacity of the State: inefficient bureaucracy, corruption, crime, and inadequate digital progress.

To support countries in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region in this undertaking, the IDB provides project financing, technical assistance, and advice to governments to promote management models and structures in the following areas:

  • Transformation of public administration: The IDB strengthens the management capacity of public administration to improve the lives of citizens and enhance their trust in the State.
  • Data and digital government: The IDB supports LAC governments in the design and implementation of digital transformation plans and initiatives to improve the efficiency and quality of the public services provided to citizens and businesses.
  • Citizen security and justice: The IDB helps LAC countries tackle challenges of security and justice that affect the Rule of Law and, in turn, economic and social development.
  • Transparency and integrity: The IDB supports transparency and integrity reforms aligned with international standards and enabled by digital technologies.
Transformation of Public Administration Cluster

This cluster promotes the transformation of the structures and processes of public administration to improve the management capacities of government agencies so that they can better respond to increasingly complex problems and citizen demands. It facilitates the implementation of government priorities and public policies to provide more effective, efficient, and inclusive services.

We provide technical and financial support to governments in the following areas:

  • Strategic management at the Center of Government (COG): (i) strategic planning of government priorities; (ii) creating Delivery Units; (iii) creating frameworks and tools for coordinating with sectors and subnational governments; and (iv) strengthening communication for government management.
  • Human capital for public administration: (i) modernizing human resource management; (ii) creating tools to analyze the profile and distribution of public sector employees; (iii) improving management for planning, organization of work, recruitment, performance, remuneration, career development, optimization of retirement benefits, and training; and (vi) preparing public employees to take advantage of opportunities created by the digital transformation.
  • Organizational transformation of public administration: (i) functional reviews that align the structure and value chains of governments with their key objectives; (ii) horizontal and vertical coordination tools that support the implementation of priorities, programs, and budgets; and (iii) monitoring and evaluation tools that guide public administration to achieve results.
  • Policies and management of public goods and services and of long-term planning of public infrastructure: (i) leveraging big data analysis, behavioral economics, and network governance tools to strengthen strategic and cost-efficient planning and provision of public goods and services and (ii) strategic planning of infrastructure investment to close gaps and stimulate growth.
  • Risk management in the operation of public administration: (i) strengthening the State’s capacities to provide legal protection and (ii) enhancing internal control to monitor and prevent ineffectiveness and inefficiencies in administrative processes.
  • Collaborative and networked governance institutions: participation of civil society and the private sector in the design and implementation of public policies and service delivery.

 

Additional links:

Center of Government

Data and Digital Government Cluster

This cluster promotes a comprehensive view of digital transformation that includes institutional strengthening, governance, regulatory framework, and technology services. The digital transformation of the public sector contributes to competitiveness and social inclusion in the region by focusing on the national data strategy and the cybersecurity policies necessary for safeguarding cyberspace.

We provide technical and financial support to governments in the following:

  • Strengthening institutional capacity related to digital transformation.
  • Supporting the simplification and digitalization of procedures to minimize bureaucracy and paperwork culture.
  • Strengthening identity schemes, including improving civil registries and creating a secure, reliable, and universal digital identity.
  • Designing national and sectoral cybersecurity policies with a comprehensive view.
  • Advocating for regulatory improvement as a key element to modernizing the State, enhancing productivity, and increasing confidence in public institutions.
  • Implementing national data strategies with a 360-degree view that includes evidence-based decision-making, openness, integration, and protection.
  • Modernizing the statistics bureaus and supporting their data compilation process to obtain accurate, current, and reliable data.

 

Additional links:

DigiGOB, Red GEALC, Cibersecurity, Observatory of Cybersecurity, Latin American Open Data Initiative (ILDA)

Citizen Security and Justice Cluster

This cluster supports countries in preventing crime and violence in at-risk areas with a focus on vulnerable populations. In addition, it helps to strengthen security and justice institutions, focusing on human capital and promoting technological innovations to increase transparency, efficiency, and equal and inclusive access to security and justice services.

We provide technical and financial support to governments in the following:

  • Supporting social violence prevention programs for youth and women affected by or at risk of suffering from violence.
  • Strengthening police effectiveness and prioritizing citizen service through professionalizing and dignifying police work, increasing accountability, and leveraging technology. 
  • Promoting effective and equal access to justice to ensure due process and improve transparency and accountability, through professionalizing government ministries and improving their technical and human resource capacities, enhancing coordination among institutions, and digitalizing the judicial process.
  • Implementing prison management with a focus on the effective rehabilitation of inmates to ease their socioeconomic reentry, fostering respect for human rights, and adopting international standards for management and deployment of technologies in correctional facilities.
     

Additional links:

Blog SinMiedos 

Online Course Leaders Citizen Security and Justice Management Caribbean (MOOC)  

Citizen Security Week 

 

Transparency and Integrity Cluster

This cluster supports (i) transparency, integrity, control of corruption, and governance reforms in accordance with international standards; (ii) open government and transparency innovations enabled by new technologies and big data; (iii) emphasizing transparency and integrity in sector operations and public–private partnerships; and (iv) strengthening internal coordination between the operational and fiduciary arms of the IDB Group. The Transparency Fund provides financing for this cluster.

We provide technical and financial support to governments in the following:

  • Developing policies on transparency and access to information to promote open government ecosystems and incorporate feedback from civil society.
  • Promoting integrity of the public sector with policies to prevent conflicts of interest and systems for financial disclosure, grievance mechanisms, and coordination between regulatory bodies.
  • Implementing transparency programs in public resource utilization through georeferenced platforms, InvestmentMap, and InvestmentMap with the COVID-19 module.
  • Strengthening higher regulatory bodies and incorporating digital solutions to facilitate the management of public resource utilization and strengthen preventive monitoring strategies.
  • Supporting sector transparency and integrity programs, with a special focus on areas such as infrastructure.
  • Assisting countries in the implementation of international standards of financial integrity (FATF) with risk assessments and legal reforms (in final beneficiary, non-financial activities, and professions, etc.) as well as strengthening financial intelligence units.
  • Supporting the implementation of transparency standards in extractive industries and integrity measures for sovereign wealth funds.
  • Providing cross-cutting support for private sector integrity standards, including transparency and integrity measures in public–private partnerships.

 

Additional links:

Sector Framework Transparency and Integrity, InfoGuide, InvestmentMap, Transparency Fund, Sector Framework, InfoGuide on Financial Transparency