Governance

We believe that good governance is crucial for achieving economic development and eliminating poverty in a sustainable way. To achieve the international objective of inclusive prosperity, there is need to strengthen the accountability of government, improve its performance and boost its organizational capacity to deliver public service more effectively. Responsible governance means ensuring that the right systems and processes are put in place to enable the translation of potential into reality. It also means knowing when to re-invent and reform in order to achieve a more effective result-oriented administration.

Our work at Preston is to promote good governance by providing technical and management expertise in institutional and governance reform. We help in identifying problem areas, contribute to strengthening the accountability process, and promote greater efficiency, transparency and participation. We work with government and its agencies, development partners and civil society organizations to monitor, manage and participate in the delivery of public service.

Governance is one of our core service areas at Preston. Our strength in this area lies in our people who have an in-depth understanding of the nuances inherent in policy development and implementation. Our experts have worked in roles where they were required to advise and help key government officials achieve administrative goals and ensure change. Being at the forefront of government reforms, they have worked closely with public officials, thereby providing an invaluable edge in our delivery of a very robust governance practice.

Our service areas under governance include:

  • Public Financial Management

Without effective public financial management (PFM), governance becomes dysfunctional. Our work is focused around rigorously analyzing PFM systems at all levels of governments. The overarching aim is to improve the capacity of government to better manage its resources by significantly reducing waste and misappropriation of resources, and to better provide social goods to its people. We provide technical and policy support to the federal and state governments to enhance the quality of PFM, and help ensure transparency and accountability of government institutions.

  • Public Policy Reforms

Neither good policies nor good investments are likely to emerge and be sustainable in an environment with dysfunctional institutions and poor governance. It is clear that reforming public institutions is a complex and difficult task, both technically and politically. Institutional reform involves fundamental changes in the rules of the game for a large number of civil servants and private citizens. Such changes are likely to require long-term high-level commitment, in-depth knowledge, extensive support and assistance, which is what we help to provide at Preston.

  • Public Sector Accountability

Preston Consults is deeply committed to building a well-functioning and accountable government. We work with governments, development partners and citizens on formal and informal mechanisms to enhance the accountability of public service providers. Our work in this area includes building civil society’s ability to use accountability tools such as social audits, working with government institutions to strengthen internal controls, and supporting strong legislative oversight of public expenditures and policy implementation.

  • Public Sector Management

At Preston, we provide public sector organizations with the management support required to administer public services efficiently and effectively. The results of our deep research help feed public policy decision-making and provide advice on developing sound regulations, management practices and institutional mechanisms which are at the core of good governance.