Public-Sector Reform Initiatives in Development Cooperation: A Case Study of the Kyrgyz Rural Advisory Service RAS

Public-sector reform initiatives as part of development cooperation challenge many agricultural support services in developing countries of Central Asia. This article analyses the application of the results-based payment system in the Kyrgyz Rural Advisory Service (RAS) and identifies key determinants that are likely to influence its effective adaptation. The article is based on a literature review of public-sector reforms in developing countries, donor agencies' program documents, and participatory action research of the authors. The results from this research indicate that although the RAS develops in a positive way under the new system, it directed its accountability towards the donors, rather than towards local actors. Crucial impediments to the effective implementation of the results-based payment system are first and foremost institutional uncertainty and the limits of management capacity. These non-intentional reform effects, which are to some extent directly opposed to the underlying theories, are discussed in the article.