The PEFA Secretariat completed its regular six-monthly review of confirmed PEFA reports in December 2014 and also a first quarterly update of PEFA report activity for 2015. The cumulative number of assessments completed to at least a draft stage as of December 2014, was 398, and as of the end of March 2015, 418. Between June 2014 and December 2014, 21 assessments were completed to at least a draft stage. Nearly the same number (19) has been completed in the first quarter of 2015. Results for 2014 and the first quarter of 2015 are discussed in further detail below.
In 2014 it was business as usual. The graph below provides the status of incremental change since 2005 of the roll-out of reports completed to at least a draft stage at the time of the assessment status list update. The number of new assessment reports in the last half of 2014 period was 21, which is slightly below the average of 25 but 5% more than the six months to June 2014. Since September 2011, apart from the rise in April 2013, the number of assessments has remained constant between 20 and 22.
The dotted line in the graph below represents the number of reports that are expected to be produced by June 2015. As is clearly illustrated, it would be a record breaking 35 reports.
In the last half of 2014 one country, Mongolia, completed its first PEFA assessment at the central government level while 6 new subnational entities completed PEFA assessments: Sisak City (Croatia), Somalia Region (Ethiopia), Kassena Nankana East Municipality (Ghana), Kumasi Metropolitan area (Ghana), Presti-Huni Valley District (Ghana), and the Municipality of Antananarivo (Madagascar). The other 14 assessments were successive (repeat) assessments at the central government level. Comparatively, in the previous 6 months (January to June) one new assessment was conducted at the central government level and 3 new assessments at the subnational level with all but 2 of the other 16 successive assessments occurring at the central government level.
The first quarter of 2015 was off to a busier and more unusual start than in months past. Of the 19 assessments produced in 3 months, 14 (74%) were undertaken at the subnational level and the rest were successive assessments undertaken at the central government level. In each six-month period of 2014 nearly the same number of reports were produced and subnational assessments represented a smaller proportion of assessments, 29% (June to December) and 25% (January to June) respectively. The quantity and greater percentage of subnational assessments in the first quarter of 2015 is in part explained by the timing of 6 municipal assessments in Serbia and 5 provincial assessments in South Africa that occurred back-to-back. Subnational assessments also took place in Brazil, Ecuador, and Morocco. In Brazil and Morocco a coordinated effort to assess more than one subnational entity was not envisioned. In Ecuador 4 other subnational assessments are currently underway.
More subnational assessments are expected in the near future. Of the 63 assessments that are planned or have recently begun 20 (32%) are at the subnational level. While this points towards more successive assessments at the central government in the near future, the percentage of planned subnational assessments is still higher than 2014. It is also worth noting that not all of the planned assessments will be completed in 2015. It is the Secretariat’s experience that some reports are delayed or postponed for any number of reasons; nevertheless, the trend warrants close attention.
