Background

A political economy perspective on the Arab transitions provides a reassessment of the risks and potential to fulfill expected societal outcomes from the political transitions ushered in by large-scale citizen uprisings across the Arab States region. Political transitions differ across countries but at the same time they present similarities and a common legacy of political, economic and social developments than can help guide the policy and reform agenda towards inclusive democratic governance.   Since December 2010 when the popular demands for a revolution began in Tunisia, responding to the demands and aspirations of ordinary citizens has been the major challenge of Arab governments and their institutions.  The collective action of the Arab peoples in the streets of capitals, towns and villages alike has been the spark and the iconic characteristic of the Arab transitions. The masses in the streets expressed a desire for a new social contract between State and citizens, based on dignity and equal opportunity irrespective of ethnicity, class, age, gender, religion and political affiliation.

The events unfolding in several Arab states have since initiated a process of transformative change. The transformations have been different in nature and more than three years later, the destination of their paths is neither uniform nor clearly defined yet. However, the common denominator is that the transitions were sparked by the resounding call issued by women and men of all ages across the Arab region for more inclusive, transparent and accountable governance. After decades of autocratic rule, without real governance reform, this call has triggered the attention on governance models and social contracts to reflect more responsive institutions and state-society relationships.

However, while progress has been made in some countries, notably Tunisia, in others, collective action continues to be the main means to display dissatisfaction with a process that lacks a constructive and inclusive dialogue between State and people. Unless new ways of fostering credible and results-oriented State-citizen dialogue are developed and implemented, and citizen trust in governance and economic institutions is restored, populations will continue to voice their opinions in the streets. Meanwhile, the social cohesion of some Arab countries in transition is also being challenged by the polarization of religious forces, and ethnic groups.

In this context of heightened political turmoil, and the consequent economic deterioration in the region, most international attention to date has been on the political and security aspects of the developments in the Arab States – on ensuring fair elections, constitutions, conflict mitigation and security sector reform. The important role of the public administration in the success or failure of the transitions has been largely ignored, or neglected.

If newly won freedoms are to be sustained, they will need to be reflected and institutionalized in a range of reforms of the public administration, where institutional reforms and their sustainability will be impacted by a myriad of political economy variables. Evidence indicates that political reforms and development gains without citizen’s participation and public accountability tend to be short-lived and fragile with a higher risk of backlashes and social conflict. Transitions provide a unique opportunity for national and local institutions to engage with citizens. For the first time in decades, the women and men of the Arab region are making their voices heard in the public sphere. The people in the Arab region are calling for a new social contract between state and people, a contract that develops political changes into more inclusive political institutions, better and more responsive service delivery by the state, as well as more inclusive economic institutions that provide economic opportunities for men and women of all social and ethnic backgrounds. This will be particularly important at the local level - the level of government most people interact with most of the time, and the level that is often less developed in highly centralized and autocratic regimes.

As experience in many countries demonstrates, reforming public administration and local government to reflect a new political dispensation poses considerable challenges: it is slow and complex, it arouses considerable resistance from groups entrenched under previous dispensations who are nevertheless often essential for ongoing service delivery, it requires new capacities and a wider representation within the civil authorities of the makeup of the country and capacities are not always uniform amongst social sectors. Furthermore, it requires sustained political consensus and vision to see it through. The use of the public administration as a political instrument remains as much a possible threat in a nascent democratic regime as it was under an autocratic rule.

In the context of the above situation analysis, UNDP and partners are organizing a Regional Conference on the role of Public Administration and Local Government in transitions in the Arab States. The conference will consider the progress in developing and implementing reforms of the public administration in the Arab States and look at comparative experiences in other countries and regions. The conference will facilitate discussions between decision-makers from across the region and experts on public administration and local governance.  In particular, the conference will provide a much-needed opportunity to debate the important role of public administration and local government in building more responsive, legitimate, inclusive and rights-based societies in the region - societies that generate vertical and horizontal cohesion. Ultimately through the conference and the preparatory work, it will be possible to identify a series of priorities for future work on public sector reform.

This ToR is for a background paper on the political economy dimensions of the Arab transitions and their interface with the public administration to inform the conference. It is one of three background papers being prepared for the conference, with the other two being on the lessons of public administration reform in the transitions of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union and another one examining the existing literature and relevant case studies of public administration reform at national and local levels in the Arab region.

Specifically, the background paper will identify and analyze key political economy variables that bear significant implications for the outcome and traction for public administration reform at national and local levels, including near-and medium-term challenges that must be taken into account in crafting reform agendas. The paper will analyze different national transition movements in the Arab States at an individual, aggregate and comparative level, and its interface with state institutions, drawing conclusions and options that stand to have an impact on the outcome of the institutional development and reform process of public administration systems.  The paper will specifically address the cases of Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Yemen, and Syria, and, as appropriate, other relevant political transitions in the region.   The paper will survey the relevant political economy literature on democratic transitions, identify case studies of relevance to the Arab context, and provide a systemic conceptual framework to interpreting and understanding the evolving nature and shifts of the Arab transitions. Conference participants will benefit from a comprehensive background paper on the political economy of the Arab transitions that draws out themes, issues, challenges, and lessons that have a bearing on the viability and sustainability of public administration reforms centered on inclusive democratic governance.
 
The consultant(s) will take a strong political economy perspective, ensuring that the description of public administration and analysis of the various approaches to, and results of, reform are placed within their political and historical context.

The consultant(s) will highlight key common issues and challenges, making sure to contextualize them where appropriate. Issues to be addressed will be confirmed by the consultants with UNDP, but include:
  • The prospects and constraints to introduce PA reforms aimed at fulfilling the inclusive and democratic aspirations and expectations expressed by citizens through the Arab uprisings;
  • Differentiation of policy options that have higher levels of success (“low-hanging fruit”) from those that require longer timeframes and/or protracted political negotiations;
  • The role of renegotiated social contracts and/or national dialogues on a country’s process of change, both as means of reinvigorating the state-citizen interphase;
  • The different impact and implications of political transition on PA reform at national, regional and local levels of government;
  • Key political, economic or social factors that serve as enablers or obstacles for institutional reform and development and PA reform;
  • The tradeoffs between reforms targeting the functional capacity of governments (“good enough” governance) versus more comprehensive/systemic PA reforms centered on inclusiveness, responsiveness and resilience of institutions to change;
  • Priorities for PA reform in transition countries that can advance the peaceful consolidation of political transitions and reflect societal aspirations for greater social and economic justice.
Lessons will only be drawn where there is clear consensus in the literature, otherwise differences and debates will be illustrated.
The consultant(s) will pay particular attention, as far as the literature permits, to issues of representativeness, diversity (especially gender equality and youth representation), responsive capacity of the state at national and sub-national levels and accountability as well as how incentives are created to generate support for the reforms within the public service. 
The source material should be primarily peer reviewed articles, books, or independent evaluations as opposed to grey literature from an agency perspective. The report will contain a comprehensive bibliography.

Duties and Responsibilities

  • Collect literature on the political economy of democratic transitions relevant to the Arab transitions, focusing in particular on its implications for institutional development and reform of public administration systems;
  • Identify main political economy variables, including contested approaches, that have a bearing on the future prospects and outcomes for political transitions and public administration reforms in the Arab States region;
  • Develop a framework for synthesizing, summarizing and presenting the findings of the literature review and the political economy analysis of the Arab transitions, including challenges, opportunities, bottlenecks to avoid, lessons for successful sequencing of reforms;
  • Identify and focus on relevant case studies of projects/approaches at country or local level that will be particularly useful to the conference in that they highlight issues or show successful approaches to reform;
  • Produce a 30-40 page paper, an executive summary and necessary annexes and bibliography.

Competencies

  • Demonstrable understanding and experience in the subject matters (Political Economy Analysis, Institutional Analysis and Public Administration Reform);
  • Strong analytical, research and synthesizing skills;
  • Wide knowledge of the literature on public administration and local government, especially in post-conflict and after transition;
  • Excellent organizational and time management skills;
  • Ability to plan and work independently against tight deadlines;
  • Ability to actively engage in substantive discussions on issues pertaining to governance and public administration in transition settings;
  • Cultural sensitivity and adaptability;
  • Can communicate effectively with and relates to people of different cultures, demonstrating an ability to see issues from other perspectives;
  • Ability to write and speak clearly and convincingly, adapting style and content to different audiences;
  • Good interpersonal and teamwork skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:
  •  Advanced university degree or equivalent qualification in international development, international relations, political science, social sciences, public policy, public administration or related fields.
Experience:
  • Minimum 10 years relevant experience, a majority of which should be in the field of governance and/or political economy, preferably with experience in sensitive political environments;
  • Experience working in the Arab region, in particular since the onset of the ongoing transitions, a strong advantage.
  • Experience in designing and drafting knowledge products;
  • Solid experience in oral presentations to large high-level audience;
  • Experience with the UN system is an asset.
Language:
  • Excellent writing, editing and oral communication skills in English essential;
  • A second UN language, preferably French or Arabic, is an advantage.
Documents to be included when submitting the proposals:
 
Proposal - Please submit, in 2 pages or less, the following to demonstrate your interest and qualifications:
  • Explaining why you are the most suitable for the work;
  • Provide a brief methodology on how you will approach and conduct the work.
Price Proposal - Please submit an all-inclusive consultancy fee which may be made up as follows:
  • Daily fees and any other financial claims to accomplish this task;
  • The assignment is home-based so no travel costs are envisaged.
Personal CV and/or UNDP Personal History Form:
Evaluation Process:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the Cumulative Analysis methodology (weighted scoring method), where the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:
  • Responsive/compliant/acceptable;
  • Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation;
  • Technical Criteria weight; [70%];
  • Financial Criteria weight; [30%].
The following criteria will be used in Technical Evaluation:
  • Demonstrated professional experience in the field of Political Economy Analysis, including in special development situations such as political transitions, max 30 points;
  • Experience working, and analyzing the political transitions, in the Arab States with particular weight given to experience since the onset of the ongoing transitions, max 30 points;
  • Proven ability to design and draft, in English, knowledge products for an audience of national and local decision-makers, max 20 points;
  • Cover letter (max 2 pages) with methodology and work plan demonstrating a clear understanding of the job to be done, max 10 points;
  • Proven understanding of the UN System, different development paradigms and the expectations for UN knowledge products, max 10 points.
Only consultants obtaining minimum 70 of the obtainable 100 points in the technical evaluation will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.
UNDP applies a fair and transparent selection process that takes into account both the technical qualification of Individual Consultants as well as their price proposals. The contract will be awarded to the candidate obtaining the highest combined technical and financial scores. UNDP retains the right to contact references directly.