Public Sector Governance and Accountability Series: Budgeting and ...

352 Stephen B. Peterson
solution is used. In Nigeria, for example, implementation of a high-end OTS
IFMIS (SAP) failed because a reputable international consulting firm failed
to properly integrate the solution to the business processes. The system integration
process failed. As Dorsey (2000) notes, even for U.S. corporations,
hiring reputable international firms or purchasing expensive OTS systems
does not mitigate risk. Effective financial information systems are based on
an integral strategy of financial reform. The broader strategy of financial
reform; the breadth of its content (for example, budget, accounts, disbursement,
commitments); and the IT solution must all be coherent. One reason
financial reforms fail or underperform is the absence of this coherence. The
Ethiopia case was unique in that these three factors were all under the same
project, which permitted a coherent approach. A critical task for governments
is to ensure this coherence.
A challenge for funders of aid-dependent countries is to understand the
need for that coherence, as well as the long time lags required to implement
financial reforms, including automation, and allow the government to take
over the reform.
Lesson 5: Financial and Social Cost-Benefit Analysis
One of the main reasons that aid-dependent countries adopt OTS systems
is the availability of concessionary aid for these systems, coupled with the
belief by the providers of this aid that OTS systems are superior and the most
cost-effective solution for improving public financial management (OTS
systems reduce their fiduciary risk). This assertion is not substantiated.
As noted previously, budget is a key variable affecting the scope and
thus the risk of a financial system. Without a hard budget constraint, the
scope of information systems expands and their schedules extend—that is,
their risk increases.
One benefit of a custom solution is the social benefit of the development
of a local computer industry. For example, the state of Andhra Pradesh in India
adopted a “middle-ware” solution to link its existing legacy systems together
rather than procuring an expensive foreign OTS IFMIS. The government of
Andhra Pradesh was able to do so because a robust computer industry existed
in Andhra Pradesh. This custom solution was very inexpensive and effective.
Similarly, in Ethiopia, members of the computer staff of the DSA Project are
principally local Ethiopians or Ethiopians returning from the diaspora. The
value of building such local capacity extends far beyond the particular
financial application and supports the broader process of endogenous
economic growth. Moreover, the risks associated with the introduction and
sustainability of IFMISs are reduced if local contractors can do it.