The concept of ‘ownership’ under the Paris Declaration means more than just the preferences of the government of the day.  Ownership should be as broadly based as possible, with citizens participating in the formulation, implementation and monitoring of national development strategies through democratic processes and civil society. 

Participation, however, is a difficult quality to measure.  Most PRSP countries have gone to some trouble to organise consultation across social groups and parts of the country.  In many cases, however, this was an ad hoc process that fell away as soon as the PRSP had been adopted.  To what extent has the PRSP initiative increased the openness of government as a whole?

There is no consensus in the literature on this point.  Early reviews of the PRSP initiative tended to conclude that participation in PRSP formulation had been artificial and unsustainable.  Some influential international NGOs continue to take that view.  However, many Southern NGOs have acknowledged that the PRSP initiative has opened up new opportunities for them to participate in the setting of development policy.  Academic commentators have criticised donors for their ‘apolitical’ and even ‘naïve’ understanding of participation.

Practical guidance for strengthening participation can be found in these documents.