Project Summary

Project Title: Strengthening Business Climate to Improve Economic Governance
Funding Partner: The Asia Foundation (TAF)
Document Source: projectsummary4.pdf

Overview & Implementation Details

Project: Strengthening Business Climate to Improve Economic Governance
Funding Partner: The Asia Foundation (TAF)
Start Date: June 15, 2009
End Date: September 30, 2012

Project Location: Rupendehi, Kaski, Morang and Banke districts

Detailed Narrative Description of the Project
The project aims at improving climate for promoting business through engagement of local
public –private actors and stakeholders. The project provides platforms for government agencies,
municipalities and business associations to identify issues and address them through dialogues
and positive engagement.

Institute of Governance and Development (IGD) has carried out Public Private Dialogues (PPDs)
at the districts – Rupandehi and Kaski in cooperation with The Asia Foundation. The dialogues
between public and private stakeholders have been organized with the purpose of addressing the
problems/issues raised by the local level small-scale entrepreneurs with support of public
stakeholders or government line agencies.

The overall objective of the PPDs is to promote business environment at the local level through
involvement and commitment of stakeholders. The specific of objectives of the PPDs are:

To provide common forum for business enterprises (Private Sectors) and
concerned government stakeholders (Public Sectors) to discuss the business
related issues and their solution at the local level

To promote the dialogic culture to ascertain solutions of the issues/problems
through local initiation

To increase the trust and cooperation between public and private sectors to
enhance business prospects at the local level

Detailed Description of the Actual Services provided
 Conducted Business Climate Perception Survey in August 2009 ( Phase I) and in
September, 2010 (Phase II)
 Conducted Public Private Dialogues (PPDs) in Rupendehi, Kaski, Morang and Banke
districts

PPD PROCEEDINGS AND IMPLEMENTATION AT DIFFERENT DISTRICTS

ISSUES PRIORITIZED FOR THE PRIVATE PUBLIC DIALOGUES (PPDs)
A series of informal discussions (meets) with the private stakeholders were held at the district
level and finally the issues were prioritized for each PPDs. While identifying and finalizing the
issues, the following aspects were given utmost consideration:

Local

concretion


Ownership by the concerned private sectors

Actionable/doable/implementable at the local level

Result oriented

Multiplier effects

Enhancing business prospects incalculable and tangible terms

INFORMAL INTERACTIONS
For each PPD proceeding, IGD staff at the district level, held informal interactions with both the
public and private stakeholders at the local level for organizing the PPD events.

PPD/PUBLIC FORUMS CONDUCTED
PPD events were organized between public and private sectors on the issues raised by private
stakeholders. Private entrepreneurs and government representatives actively participated in the
dialogues and in most of the cases they arrived at conclusion for redressal of issues raised by
the former. At the end of the each dialogue a Working Group, a mechanism comprising the
representatives of public and private stakeholders were formed to implement the
decisions/commitments.
Status of Issues and PPD/Public Forums at a glance
Descriptions

Districts

Kaski
Rupandehi
Morang
Banke
Total Issues raised
15
25
8
8
PPDs held
13
23
6
8
Issues resolved
9
17
4
5
Issues ongoing follow up (implementation)
4
8
0
0
Issues discontinued/dismissed
1
0
4
3

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PPD DECISIONS
Each working group committed to make all necessary arrangement to translate the PPD
commitments into action. For this purpose, Working Group's meets were held often in succession.
In some issues, a series of meeting were held to press for the implementation of PPD's
commitments.

PPD issues and their resolution at a glance
Districts
Ongoing
Resolved
Dismissed
Discontinued
Total
Kaski
5
9
1
0
15
Rupandehi
8
17
0
0
25
Morang
0
4
0
2
6
Banke
0
5
0
3
8
Total
13
35
1
5
54

Kaski
Rupandehi
Morang
Banke

Significance & Legacy

This project contributed directly to IGD's institutional knowledge base and helped establish long-term networks among local communities, civic leaders, and government stakeholders.