21 Feb A Guide to Government in Afghanistan
The production of A Guide to Government in Afghanistan was a joint project of AREU and the World Bank. It draws on the results of case studies in six provinces conducted between 2002 and 2003.
The Guide has three objectives: i) it seeks to provide newcomers to the administrative and political scene in Afghanistan with a basic guide to the structures and processes of government; ii) it intends to provide reformers with some understanding of how to work “with the grain” of the existing institutional arrangements; and iii) it seeks to pay tribute to the remarkable people who have kept the system running and who are now reforming it.
In pursuing these objectives, the Guide attempts to set out the underlying strengths of the public sector, describing the evolution of the Afghan state, the current political context, and the administrative and organisational components of the government. It sets out the legal basis and organisational responsibilities for key fiscal tasks including revenue collection, budget preparation and execution, and accounting and audit. It also describes the organisational structures in the provinces, the way in which the staffing establishment is determined, and the structure of pay and grading. In particular, it looks at the arrangements for service delivery in the education and health sectors.